It seems to be a pattern that around the holidays of Christmas or Easter news magazine Newsweek usually publish some controversial issue attacking the Christian faith. This year they decided to publish a piece titled “The Bible: So Misunderstood It’s a Sin” by Kurt Eichenwald. I do think Eichenwald attacks the Bible and not just Conservative Christianity when he sees the Bible as containing “the flaws, the contradictions, and the theological disagreements in its pages.”
The ending of Eischenwald’s essay caught my attention:
And embrace what modern Bible experts know to be the true sections of the New Testament. Jesus said, Don’t judge. He condemned those who pointed out the faults of others while ignoring their own. And he proclaimed, “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.”
That’s a good place to start.
“Don’t Judge” has got to be the one of the most quoted Bible passages by those who seek to undermine the Bible’s message. Kurt is no different. Kurt here believes that Jesus “condemned those who pointed out the faults of others while ignoring their own.” The thesis in his essay has been that fundamentalist Christians have been unenlightened and have not read the Bible for themselves to know what’s in it. He laments how the majority of Conservative Christian are ignorant of scholarship about the Bible, or at least ignorant of the other side, that is, his side. Can it be that Kurt does the same thing?
Tonight I saw on his facebook the following status that he posted on December 23rd:
Isn’t it interesting I write a piece that says, basically, let’s discuss the Bible and the response of Christian apologists is to name-call?
(Source)
I wondered who are these nameless Christian apologists who just engaged in name calling to his article as I haven’t seen any that match his description (note, I’m not denying that there aren’t any out there). But more importantly, I thought if Kurt really is calling for an intellectually honest discussion about the Bible he would not use his facebook to drop a few second soundbite that bite the bait of low hanging fruits; why doesn’t Kurt take the opportunity instead to discuss with capable scholars from the other side?
It’s ironic that Kurt’s fault is the very ones he accuses his opponets of doing: Not “discussing the Bible” with a meaningful interaction of the other side but engages in name calling. In fact reading the article itself you would think that his opponents were all guys who have never read the Bible themselves and then his facebook makes it out that no Christian apologist is willing to handle his piece other than to engage in name-calling.
But Christian apologists have meaningfully interacted with his article.
For starters, there is James White who refuted Kurt’s article in a recent episode of the Dividing Line:
Michael Kruger have also started a series responding to Kurt’s article which part 1 can be read by clicking HERE.
Both Dr. White and Dr. Kruger are men who have spent decades studying and writing on many of Kurt’s objection.
If Kurt wishes to avoid being a hypocrite he ought to interact with Dr. White, Kruger and others who are capable and have already responded publicly.
Rather than lament on some anonymous alleged name calling agaisnt him, he ought to interact with the content that Dr. White and Kruger has put forth.
Jim,
Ironic but expected.
Peoplr have been misusing “thou shalt not judge” to silence Christians for years, nothing non-hypocritical or intellectually honest about it in the least.
Secular publications have an audience and this is what their itching ears want to hear.
Great post. Keep it up in 2015.
James
If we had a quarter for every time someone invoke “Don’t judge…” Out of context we be millionaires 🙂
Reblogged this on Talmidimblogging.
Thank you for sharing this! Hope you had a good Christmas!
You’re welcome Jim! I did, I hope you and yours had a good Christmas as well!
We did have a good Christmas!
Thank you, SLIMJIM.
You’re welcome EvangelZ! Kurt needs to be called out.
Thanks for the comments. I always listen to “The Dividing Line” and so I’ll be listening to that forthwith. Did you happen to see Daniel Wallace’s response? – http://danielbwallace.com/2014/12/28/predictable-christmas-fare-newsweeks-tirade-against-the-bible/
Actually I have not yet seen Wallace’s response, thanks J.W. for sharing them!
I cover some of the text-critical aspects of Eichenwald’s article/rant at the The Text of the Gospels blog — at
http://onyxkylix.blogspot.com/2014/12/the-bible-so-misrepresented-its-sin.html
and
http://onyxkylix.blogspot.com/2014/12/the-bible-so-mispresented-its-sin-part.html .
I’ll have to check this out later!
Since news-Weak does not have a place for comments, I will post on here:
The marginalization of biblical Christians and Jews is beginning and the plan is the same as the final solution. Demonize a segment of the population and then destroy them with the help of the general public’s consent or willful blindness.
Psalms 2:4 He that sits in the heavens shall laugh: YHWH shall have them in derision.
Psalms 37: 12 The wicked plots against the righteous and gnashes at him with his teeth. 13 YHWH laughs at him, For He sees his day is coming. 14 The wicked have drawn the sword and bent their bow To cast down the afflicted and the needy, To slay those who are upright in conduct. 15 Their sword will enter their own heart, And their bows will be broken.
Friedrich Nietzsche “God is Dead!” YHWH God “Friedrich Nietzsche is dead!!!!!” I am alive for ever and ever.
Good point; God will not be mocked
[…] December I wrote a piece concerning the recent Newsweek article attacking the Bible titled “The Irony of Kurt Eichenwald’s Ending in His Newsweek Article Attacking the Bible.” Originally I was going to write a series of post responding to Kurt’s hit piece but […]
[…] response? Christian apologists writing apologetics’ answer to Kurt’s criticisms. Kurt did complained that Christian apologists have not answered him but instead engaged in name call…. But for the sake of the argument, let’s say Kurt’s complaint is true, that there are […]
[…] The irony of kurt eichenwald’s ending in his newsweek […]
I was really confused, and this answered all my quisetons.
I love irony
Journalism has gone down hill
The media’s bias has gotten worst since then
I remember James White taking this guy on, good times
Journalists are jokes these days who aren’t experts but think they write for a living they can play an authority online
That took guts. I wonder if Kurt ever saw this, he’s on Twitter you know
Yes, that IS a great post! (Your contradictions posts are so good, too — I have started following your blog for my curiosity of apologetics and I love it!)