I recently stumbled upon a Dr. David Tee-like apologist by the name of Robert Clifton Robinson. What follows is a quote from one of the many articles he has written about New Testament scholar Dr. Bart Ehrman. Enjoy. 🙂
Bart Ehrman is considered by many as one of the world’s most preeminent New Testament scholars. The problem is that Ehrman doesn’t believe the New Testament is true, that God exists, or that the writers of the New Testament have told us the truth about Jesus. The problem with Bart Ehrman is that he rarely presents any evidence to support his suppositions and criticisms of the New Testament. [As someone who has read most of Ehrman’s popular books, I can confidently say that this is a bullshit claim.]
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We might ask why a man would seek to obtain a Phd and become a New Testament scholar, if he doesn’t believe God exists in the first place? The answer is quite obvious. There is tremendous academic and financial recognition for anyone who claims to be a former evangelical Christian, and is now an atheist. [Really? I would love to see Robinson’s evidence for this claim. He sounds like a man who is jealous of Ehman’s fame and wealth. That said, I made $1,666,666.69 off this blog this year! Claiming to be an Evangelical-pastor-turned-Satanic-atheist sure has paid off for me.] Bart Ehrman achieved international acclaim and became a very wealthy man by assuming this role for himself.
If we conduct a personal examination of the persons who are held up as critical scholars, we learn that many are atheists who do not believe God exists, or that the Bible is true. It is not difficult to imagine why a person who doesn’t believe in God, would want to acquire an advanced education that would enable them to be recognized as a New Testament scholar. The adversaries of Jesus and His Gospel have used many tactics in order to try and impeach His death and resurrection.
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There are many like Bart Ehrman who freely admit they are an atheist, and don’t believe the New Testament, while asking us to believe them when they assure us that the New Testament is not a reliable narrative of Jesus.
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Although Ehrman defines himself as an atheist, it is unclear why he would seek to achieve a doctorate in Divinity only to use his education to refute and discredit Jesus. The entire point of gaining knowledge of the Bible is to be able to communicate the truth of who Jesus is to the world.
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It would have been better that after Dr. Ehrman discovered he no longer believed in Christ, that he chose a different career. By remaining a New Testament Scholar and writing books that cause people to reject Jesus and lose their salvation, he has assigned himself to the same destiny as Judas Iscariot. [Judas was predestined to betray Jesus, so, using Robinson’s logic, Ehrman was predestined to become an atheist New Testament scholar. Want to blame someone? Blame God.]
— Robert Clifton Robinson, Impeaching Bart Ehrman
In searching for further information about Robinson (particularly his educational background), I came across a sixteen-minute video by a former Evangelical named Ben. Ben, who comes from a similar background as mine (Pensacola Christian College, King James-only, IFB, Southern Baptist, etc.), has had some interaction with Robinson. I found his response to be, how shall I put it? Awesome. Hilarious. Snarky. As a man who has spent decades earning advanced degrees in snark — degrees that are every bit as real as Dr. David Tee’s doctorate — I found Ben’s takedown of Robinson to be top-shelf. I have added his site and channel to the list of people I follow. I hope you will do the same.
Please see Robert Clifton Robinson Saw My Apology Video.
Bruce Gerencser, 66, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 45 years. He and his wife have six grown children and thirteen grandchildren. Bruce pastored Evangelical churches for twenty-five years in Ohio, Texas, and Michigan. Bruce left the ministry in 2005, and in 2008 he left Christianity. Bruce is now a humanist and an atheist.
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Bruce! You’re back! Yaaaaaah! (At which there was great rejoicing.) 🙂
I’m still sick (and testing positive), but not as bad Monday and Tuesday. Lots of congestion, quite weak, but, Praise Be, still among the living. I probably won’t do any serious writing until next week. ❤️❤️
What an astonishingly stupid criticism of Bart Ehrman! He ignores the fact that it was actually Bart’s understanding and knowledge of the bible that led him away from Christianity. Not to mention the many hundreds of bible scholars worldwide who have intimate knowledge of the bible but do not accept that it is anything other than a patently human derived text(s). I’d just say a couple of other things:
Ehrman identifies as an agnostic, not atheist. Whilst I’d be happy to debate the subject and, personally, I think he is an atheist I’m sufficiently respectful to refer to him by the way in which he refers to himself.
Secondly, there are many academic disciplines that don’t match how one might expect those who study them to be. There are obvious ripostes, such as those who are expert in Greek and Roman mythology, yet don’t believe that Zeus, or Jove, were real. Less obvious: why would someone who is not a leading sportsman become a sports scientist?
I might also add that Bart does not make vast sums from his blog but, from what he writes, it does make a very decent income. Every penny is donated to charity.
Robinson’s like a person with two brains. Trouble is one’s lost and the other is out looking for it.
It’s highly unlikely that Dr. Ehrman gives a sh!t what this fellow thinks. Dr. Ehrman has spent decades poring through documents and previous research regarding New Testament texts. He applies rigorous methodology to his research. He is a world class expert scholar in his field. I am sure that as a scholar, he would have a lot to say about the concept and origins of the Satan character. Dr. Ehrman is a far cry from the “God said it, I believe it, that settles it” fundamentalist Christian crowd that is happy to eschew the hard work of research so they can shut off their brains and be told what to think and do.
Glad you are starting to feel better, Bruce. Missed you! Stay snarky!
Thanks for sharing, sir! Robinson is a character, to be sure. I’ve yet to figure out how he can call himself a “scholar” despite having no apparent credentials in the field. Maybe I should start calling myself one!
Robinson: “The problem with Bart Ehrman is that he rarely presents any evidence to support his suppositions and criticisms of the New Testament.”
Zoe: I stopped reading after this sentence.
I find it interesting that Christian apologists list all of their names, e.g. Robert Clifton Robinson, William Lane Craig, etc. They only go for a shorter name when they can slap a “dr.” in the front. Maybe it is to ensure you recognize them as being serious scholars. I mean, who would pay attention to an apologist name, say, Bubba Squish.
You know who also gets the three name treatment? Serial Killers. When first identified by police they are given their full name treatment, e.g. John Wayne Gacy, etc. If they become really famous, they are cut down to appear familiar, e.g. Ted Bundy. Maybe the original more formal treatment is to prevent misidentifications, because Americans are heavily armed and if they think the John Gacy living next door is a serial killer, they may just shoot him dead and ask questions later.
$1,666,666.69…lol. 2 sets of 666 with 69 on the end? Genius. 😉 Glad you’re feeling up to be snarky.
So where is Robert Clifton Robinson’s proof that the bible is factual and true? If he can demand proof, he should also be able to supply proof.
Robison, as you might expect, is a liar and a coward. It’s always amusing when the poor christian just can’t figure out why someone would expose their lies.
Somehow I missed this post. So I’m sorry I’m late to this party and am glad that you, Bruce, are back,
A misunderstanding is forgivable. A deliberate misrepresentation isn’t. This three-name Robinson character says that Dr. Ehrman became a Biblical scholar even though he’s an atheist because he wanted to undermine other people’s belief. Unless I’ve been reading him wrong, Ehrman was as much a believer as anybody could be when he started his career. And, while he says he’s now an agnostic, he doesn’t say that God doesn’t exist. What he does say is that the evidence he’s found indicates that the New Testament is not a divinely-inspired text, or even part of one—or, for that matter, what any scholar or researcher would call an “original source.”
There are many people who, whether or not they’ve studied as much as Dr. Ehrman don’t think that the Bible is divinely-inspired or inerrant. But they continue to believe in the divinity of Jesus, or at least in God and admit that their belief is just that. So, whether Robinson was making an honest mistake or deliberate falsehood in presenting the trajectory of Ehrman’s career and faith, he makes a fundamental mistake in equating a belief in the inerrancy of the Bible with a belief in God.
Oh, and Ehrman is, and has always been, a scholar. He is continuing to do his job, just as a cancer researcher would continue with that work after realizing that anything he or she had learned or thought about the etiology of the illness was wrong.
poor RCR, he’s now whining on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=od5fjhT_nu8