CADRE Comments

Really? There weren't any actual new goofy theories to trot out this year for disparaging Easter, so they had to settle for this? "They", this year, are Hal Taussig (a Visiting Professor at the Union Theological Seminary and a founding member of the now defunct Jesus Seminar) and a group of liberal/sceptical scholars and "religious leaders" (some of them nominally Christian, others vaguely or just outright not, many of whom are JSem alumni), who have decided that the only way to cash in on controversy this year is to propose and release A New New Testament . Never let it be said that I haven't done my part to market them now! I fraternally anticipate questions. Let the FAQ commence.

(...wait, did I spell that right? Should it be 'blogsphere'?) http://christthetao.blogspot.com/ My friend David Marshall has finally started a web journal at the above address. David is a Christian apologist who usually (although not always) works along the line of cultural apologetics. (The title of his journal, as well as of his main site, goes back to his first book on convergences and contrasts between Christianity and Chinese religious culture.) His first set of posts out of the gate (aside from some photos from his family trip into the Pacific Northwest countryside near Seattle), involve a running debate with Dr. Hector Avalos on connections (of various sorts) between Christianity and slavery. Interviews with him on his latest two books, can be found here on the Cadre Journal at: http://christiancadre.blogspot.com/2007/10/david-marshall-interview-oct-2007-part.html and http://christiancadre.blogspot.com/2007/10/david-marshall-interview-oct-2007-part_24.html Links, with so...

Retopping this message after the live debate. Popular author and Christian apologist David Marshall (whose interview with the Cadre on the topic of the New Atheism can be found here ) discussed Jesus Myth theories with popular author and anti-Christian apologist Dr. Robert Price, on the Infidel Guy radio webcast, Thursday night, March 27, 2008. David's a pleasant and entertaining speaker, and Dr. Price is, well, colorful to say the least. {g} How substantial either side was in a limited radio discussion, eh, hard to say. But radio shows are more for entertaining snapshots of positions, as an introduction to authors' opinions on topics (typically meaning "go buy the book" {g}); and that was apparently accomplished with elan. There doesn't seem to be a link up yet; but that might be a few days. When-if-ever the podcast is put up for free (Gold, i.e. paying, members have faster access to all archived shows), it'll most likely be found here. JRP

Back in late October, author David Marshall was kind enough to do a correspondence interview with us while he was on a research and speaking tour of Britain. One of his interview segments was on the topic of "The New Atheism" (in relation to a book he published last year on the topic). As it happens, during his trip he was invited to debate Barry Duke (editor of The Freethinker , the world's oldest continuous sceptical publication) on Premier Radio in London, moderated by host Justin Brierly. (Premier Radio is a popular Christian station in Britain.) David thought the interview went pretty well, and appreciated the civil and lively discussion. I haven't gotten around to listening to it myself--this is kind of a standing reminder to myself that I want to do so {g}--but interested readers can beat me to it, if you haven't done so already, by following this link and scrolling down to "The New Atheism". Be aware that the link is currently at the bottom of ...

This is the second of two parts of an interview for the Cadre Journal, with Christian apologist David Marshall, who has released two books this year (through Harvest Home publishers); one on the topic of the promotion of alternate Gospel texts, and one on the topic of the New Atheism. (Please see Part One for more biographical information, and for the portion about “The Lost Gospels”.) Most recently this year, David published The Truth Behind the New Atheism: Responding to the Emerging Chellenges to God and Christianity. David had left for Oxford on a speaking tour and research project by the time we did this portion of the interview. JP: Where did the term "New Atheism" come from anyway? Do the usual suspects gladly make use of it themselves? And if so, what do they see this as positively meaning in their favor? DM: Most "New Atheists" seem to think the term is somehow derogatory, and foisted on them by a cabal at Wheaton College or somewhere. Such is the way of...

The Christian Cadre is pleased to present, in two parts, an interview with Christian apologist David Marshall, who has released two books this year (through Harvest Home publishers); one on the topic of the promotion of alternate Gospel texts, and one on the topic of the New Atheism. David was a missionary, a teacher, and a student of comparative religion in East Asia for 13 years, during which time he also did what he could to help prostitutes sold into slavery in Taiwan. After teaching at Siebold University in Japan, he moved to the United States to start Kuai Mu Institute. He now lives in Seattle with his wife and children; but travels around the United States, the Pacific Rim and (during this October) the United Kingdom on research trips and speaking engagements. His first three books were: • True Son of Heaven: How Jesus Fulfills the Chinese Culture (1996, revised 2002) • Jesus and the Religions of Man (2000) and • Why the Jesus Seminar Can’t Find Jesus, and Grandma Marshall Cou...

Speaking of the New Atheism movement... My friend David Marshall, former missionary to Southeast Asia, now an increasingly prolific author of popular-level Christian apologetics, just alerted me that stock has arrived for his new book The Truth Behind the New Atheism: Responding to the Emerging Challenges to God and Christianity. I expect this is an expanded version of an article he was going to write for _First Things_ last year, on Dennett's (then-)new book about the (merely) evolutionary source of religion--when he heard Dawkins was going to release _The God Delusion_, he decided to just wait and do a full book addressing both authors as his primary topical focus. (That's an educated guess on my part; hopefully I'll be able to find a way to do an interview for the site.) He has managed to snag a couple of good pre-press reviews, too, from people like Paul Griffiths, Warren Chair of Catholic Thought at Duke Divinity School; and Rodney Stark, sociologist and historian, re-...