the nativity

A collection of 77 posts

Biblical Exegesis

Paul Justifies Lying

In writing my forthcoming book on the Resurrection of Jesus, it has been important to look at Jesus' earliest source, Paul. Paul is famous for not actually telling us much at all about Jesus at all. There are some genuinely quite problematic Pauline verses that should raise some eyebrows

miracles

Verifying the Virgin Birth

To return to matters pertaining to Christmas and the Nativity of Jesus, let us think briefly about the virgin birth claims. I have elsewhere discussed the may issues with the claim (see "Debunking the Nativity: The Virgin Birth" and "Debunking the Nativity: The Mistranslation of 'Virgin&

Speaking Engagements

My Nativity Interview. And Bananarama.

Here is today's interview with me, hosted by Andy Hall for Laughing in Disbelief, discussing the Nativity. We had a seamless segue (!) at the end to talk Brexit - he couldn't resist. And nor could I... I love talking with Andy - it's always

Speaking Engagements

Join Me in Live Stream Nativity Interview

I'm appearing on Andy Hall's Laughing in Disbelief  live stream vodcast. We'll be taking about the Nativity because, well, that's topical. Check it out here:   https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mqFxTK34MMo&feature=youtu.be Stay in touch! Like A Tippling

Bart Ehrman

Luke 1 & 2 Infancy Narratives as a Later Interpolation

Luke 3:1 opens with an elaborate chronological statement: “In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was … the word of the Lord came to John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness”. This surely reads as if it was originally written as the opening section

Biblical Exegesis

Possibiliter Ergo Probabiliter and the McGrew Nativity Debate

Possibiliter ergo probabiliter is a fallacy that Richard Carrier coined to express the ubiquitous technique that theists use to try to explain away issues that pop up in the Bible and this is no more evident in Christian approaches to defending problems within the infancy narratives of Luke and Matthew.

Biblical Exegesis

My Unbelievable Nativity Radio Debate Is up

My Nativity radio debate on Premier Christian Radio is now up. Unfortunately, on the YouTube channel, Matthew Firth, the vicar with whom I was having a spat and who deleted my comments and threads and blocked me and a number of other people, took to outright lying for Jesus about

Biblical Exegesis

Jesus the "Nazarene": More Prophecy Debate

I recently wrote an article about the Matthean prophecy, a prophecy that looks like this (Matt 2): Then after being warned by God in a dream, he left for the regions of Galilee, 23 and came and lived in a city called Nazareth. This was to fulfil what was spoken

Philosophy of Religion

My Chichester Humanists Nativity Talk Is Available for You to Watch

Here is a talk I gave to Chichester Humanists earlier this week on the Nativity - it is a romp through the territory of the infancy narratives. The Q&A session at the end was a little like my actual non-virtual talks of old where I would go round

Biblical Exegesis

Debunking the Nativity: The Philosophical Problems with the Magi Dream-Sequence

Here is one that is slightly different to your usual historical issues with the Nativity accounts. This has a moral dimension. Check it out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIYwPyNawaE Don't forget to subscribe to my channel and click that notification bell or whatever it is that

Biblical Exegesis

Nativity, Census, Quirinius: Refuting Very Poor Christian Apologetics Again. Even More.

As I explained yesterday (perhaps read it for context), I was linked to a vicar apologist challenge for skeptics to lay out a Nativity contradiction. It went like this: I was linked into some challenge from a vicar apologist who was seeking skeptic challengers to find nativity contradictions that he

Speaking Engagements

Reminder of My Talk on the Nativity... in an Hour

Just to remind you that I will imminently be giving a talk by Zoom to the Chichester Humanists on the Nativity. Please come along! Register now here and you will be sent the details. I saw at least one of your names at my Atlanta talk, would be good to

Biblical Exegesis

Debating Quirinius with a Christian

I had the dubious pleasure of debating a number of different aspects of the Nativity with a Christian apologist (a Cambridge astrophysics graduate and vicar) whom I had been linked to on Facebook after he had posted this: Time for my annual Christmas challenge. Skeptics say that there are contradictions

Biblical Exegesis

My Nativity Debate with Lydia McGrew: Post-Match Analysis

I had a debate over whether the Nativity in Luke and Mark was fact or fairytale on Friday night for the Unbelievable? show on Premier Christian radio. I was warned that McGrew might try the Gish-gallup approach so I should get it in myself. I ended up being indeed fairly

Speaking Engagements

Two More Nativity Talks This Week

I have two Zoom presentations that I am giving on the Nativity, one for the Atlanta Freethought Society on Sunday afternoon (evening UK time), and one for the Chichester Humanists, 15th December, UK evening. Details as per the links. Pop along if you can!  Stay in touch! Like A Tippling

Debate

Debate Tomorrow Night with Lydia McGrew

I will be preparing tomorrow for my debate on the Nativity with Lydia McGrew, on Unbelievable?, hosted by Justin Brierley on Premier Christian Radio. As a result, I might not get anything out to you guys. Apologies! The broadcast should go out around the 15th. Wish me luck. We are

Jesus

Jesus the "Nazarene" - What Is the Prophecy?

Jesus the Nazarene is a term that orthodox Christian have come to use that denotes that Jesus is from Nazareth, with Nazarene meaning someone who comes from Nazareth. We hear from Matthew 2: Then after being warned by God in a dream, he left for the regions of Galilee, 23

Biblical Exegesis

I Will Be Debating Lydia McGrew on the Nativity

Unbelievable, the show hosted by Justin Brierley on Premier Chrisitan Radio, has found someone to debate me on the Nativity, and she's something of a big hitter in the philosophical world. Lydia McGrew is a conservative Christian analytic philosopher forming a pretty formidable team with her husband Timothy

Biblical Exegesis

Totally Disingenuous: William Lane Craig Woefully Mischaracterises Me in His Podcast

I have just been made aware of a podcast in which William Lane Craig takes a couple of my short articles to task. The ones in question are: * The Resurrection, Fideism and Circularity * Supernaturalism (and Motivated Reasoning) He absolutely hammers me. Well, he thinks he does. Because what really happens

Biblical Exegesis

To Bethlehem or Not to Bethlehem (II)

[A second post on Bethlehem excerpted from my book The Nativity: A Critical Examination (UK), which has just received a reprint to clear up a few bits and pieces, long overdue. Please grab a copy! It is worth reading the first post for this to make much sense.] And this

Biblical Exegesis

To Bethlehem or Not to Bethlehem (I)

[Excerpted from my book The Nativity: A Critical Examination (UK), which has just received a reprint to clear up a few bits and pieces, long overdue. Please grab a copy!] Bethlehem is a very important place for the average Christian. It is the birthplace of Jesus. But it is more

Speaking Engagements

I'll Be on Unbelievable in December Debating the Nativity

I am excited to have been asked to appear on Unbelievable again on Premier Christian Radio with Justin Brierley and an as-yet-unnamed Christian apologist. We will be debating the Nativity for broadcast around 14 December. Whoop! I will also by presenting my Nativity talk for Chichester Humanists on the 15th

Jesus

Mother Mary Joins the #MeToo Movement

This video pokes some fun at the Virgin Mary conception of Jesus story, all of the points of which I mention in my book The Nativity: A Critical Examination (UK). Check them both out! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Eo2t8gSMBo Thanks to the video makers for letting me know

Biblical Exegesis

Challenging the Theological Truth of the Nativity

As many will know, I have written a book that sets out to particularly debunk the historical narrative of the birth accounts of Jesus - The Nativity: A Critical Examination. It simply didn't happen like that. The full gamut of posts on the subject appears at the bottom

Astrology

QI: British Comedy Panel Show Takes on the Nativity... and Scientific Comedy!

I'm not particularly nationalistic, but there are certain things that I rate about Britain, and one of them is our comedy. We have a rich variety of comedy and we can pretty much say what we like. I have previously posted a good selection of clips that take