Patton Dodd: April 2008 Archives

Thanks, Tom, for a thoughtful and interesting response. I think we both must feel how difficult it is to interact in this kind of forum, where what we want is sustained debate but have chosen to limit ourselves to brief responses. But we – you and I – must muddle along as best we can….

You are right that my goal is not to make agnostics out of people, either in my book or in my postings in this forum. This is because I am not so arrogant as to think that intelligent people should always agree with me! But I wonder if you are willing to take a similar stand, that is, whether you too would be willing to say that you also are not interested in converting people to your way of thinking or believing?

N.T. Wright is the Bishop of Durham for the Church of England. He previously taught New Testament studies at Cambridge, McGill, and Oxford, and has continued to write and speak on biblical theology and Christian history. Wright is author of Surprised By Hope, Simply Christian, Evil and the Justice of God, and many other titles. Beliefnet's interview with Wright appears here. He has done a Q&A with Beliefnet readers and written on trusting the gospels and more.

Bart Ehrman is the author of God's Problem, Misquoting Jesus, and several other titles. He is the James A. Gray Distinguished Professor of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Beliefnet's previous interview with Ehrman appears here. He has written for Beliefnet on women and the early church, and Gnostic Christianity, and more.