Biblical Scholarship and the Right to Know (Religious LIBERTY Award) (Speech‪)‬

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Biblical scholar, author, and former born-again Christian Bart Ehrman is recognized as a preeminent expert in the field of biblical criticism. He has authored over twenty books on subjects ranging from theodicy and the problem of evil, to the history and composition of the New Testament, to books about early Christianity geared toward the general public. His books Misquoting Jesus, God's Problem, and Jesus, interrupted were all critically acclaimed New York Times bestsellers. His latest book, Forged is a careful examination of the New Testament gospels that calls into question the "official story" of the Bible's authorship. Ehrman has been published in the New Yorker, the Washington Post, and many other top publications, and his media appearances include CNN, BBC, the Colbert Report, the Daily Show, and NPR's Fresh Air. Ehrman was presented with the Religious Liberty Award at the American Humanist Association's 70th annual conference in Boston, Massachusetts, not just for outstanding scholarship in the field of biblical criticism, but for publicly advocating honesty about the biblical record and the history of early Christianity. The following article was adapted from his speech.