Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (where I go to school) will host a debate and lecture series called The Scrolls and the Scriptures Conference on April 1-3 in the Chapel.  The question of the conference is, “The Bible as Artifact: Who Wrote It and How Was It Preserved.”

The event will kick-off on April 1 at 7 p.m. with a debate between Dr. Craig A. Evans from Acadia University and Dr. Bart D. Ehrman of the University of North Carolina.  Both professors are experts in the field of biblical studies, which include the Dead Sea Scrolls and textual criticism.  The focus of the debate will center on the reliability of the biblical accounts of the resurrection.

Dr. Craig A Evans is the Payzant Distinguished Professor of New Testament and director of the graduate program at Acadia Divinity College in Wolfville, Nova Scotia.  Dr. Evans’ research has led to conferences on subjects including the Dead Sea Scrolls, issues related to the image and perception of Jesus Christ and archaeology of the Bible. He writes extensively on the historical Jesus and the Jewish background of the New Testament era and the author or editor of over 50 books.

Dr. Bart D. Ehrman is a New Testament scholar and textual critic of early Christianity. He is the James A. Gray Distinguished Professor and Chair of the Department of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  Dr. Ehrman writes about the early Christians, using the term “proto-orthodox” to describe the Christian traditions that would later be defined as orthodox. He describes first- and second-century Christians as not yet having a unified, orthodox tradition.  He has also written or edited twenty-three books, numerous scholarly articles, and dozens of book reviews.

This should be a rather vociferous debate and I am hoping that you will attend with me!