Making Sense with Sam Harris
#125 — What Is Christianity?
May 1, 2018
Sam Harris interviews Bart Ehrman, a former born-again Christian and New Testament scholar. They discuss Ehrman's journey from faith to skepticism, the historical evidence of Jesus' resurrection, self-contradictions in the Bible, the origins of the concept of the rapture, and irreconcilable contradictions in the accounts of Jesus' death and resurrection.
49:31
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Quick takeaways
- The core belief of Christianity centers around the resurrection of Jesus and the empty tomb, which many Christians consider as compelling evidence for the historical reliability of their faith.
- The concept of heaven and hell in Christianity has evolved throughout history, with the Old Testament lacking a clear understanding of hell and the New Testament focusing on a final judgment and resurrection of bodies on earth.
Deep dives
Bart Erman's Background and Journey
Bart Erman, a former believer and now an agnostic, discusses his development as a thinker on the topic of Christianity. Despite not being a Christian himself, Erman became a scholar of the New Testament, studying the original Greek text. He was raised in a religious environment and experienced a born-again moment in high school, committing his life to Christ. However, as he delved deeper into his studies and examined the Bible more critically, he began to question the doctrine of Christianity. Erman's journey involved realizing that the Bible was not inerrant and encountering contradictions and errors within its texts.
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