Sunday, August 15, 2010

There's a not so new kid on the block

There's a New Kid On the Block, Thom Stark, So Watch Out Now
By John W. Loftus at 8/15/2010

"Look at the advanced [sic] praise for Thom Stark's book, The Human Faces of God: What Scripture Reveals When It Gets God Wrong (forthcoming with Wipf & Stock Publishers). This is some very good stuff, reminiscient of James Barr's book Beyond Fundamentalism. The only reason evangelicals still exist is because most of them simply do not read. Those who do read don't read works like his. The few who do read works like his don't do so to learn anything. They already have their blinders on from a few years of indoctrination in an evangelical college of their choice. In my opinion when it comes to understanding biblical scholarship the phrase "educated evangelical" is an oxymoron."

http://debunkingchristianity.blogspot.com/2010/08/theres-new-kid-on-block-thom-stark-so.html

Advance Praise

"Thom Stark’s book, The Human Faces of God, is a refreshing exception. It presents many of the obviously problematic aspects of the Bible – polytheism, human sacrifice, genocide, mistaken eschatological expectations. It breaks no new ground in the historical critical understanding of these problems; Stark’s objective is not to advance new hypotheses, but to focus on the significance of that which has already been established."

http://thomstark.net/?p=1549

17 comments:

  1. The more John speaks the dummer he makes himself out to be

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  2. >The more John speaks the dummer he makes himself out to be

    I think this is a common characteristic of atheists. I noticed it when I watched about two and a half videos of Christopher Hitchens interviews. He just starts to come across as a dumb, silly man.

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  3. Um, make fun of it all you want. The fact is, my objective was never to break new ground or to advance new hypotheses, as Collins himself obviously notes.

    You think he was insulting me by stating what I myself state in my preface?

    Nope.

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  4. Thom,

    This isn't hard to figure out. Loftus announces you as "the new kid on the block." He refers us to advance praise your book.

    So when I take his advice and read Collins' foreword, Collins immediately notes that your book is a familiar rehash of the old liberal view of Scripture. So you may be a fresh face, but you're pedaling the same tired old theories.

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  5. Says Steve, who has not read the book. I think you might have just proved Loftus's point. Well done.

    The fact is, I extensively engage fundamentalist apologists in a way that most liberals have never bothered to do, because I have a lot of respect for fundamentalists. It's sad to see my respect for your lot is not reciprocated.

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  6. Thom,

    You're not helping yourself. Loftus said we should read the advance praise for your book. So I read Collins' foreword.

    And what does that tell me? That you're a fresh face with stale ideas.

    So, no, I don't need to read another book that repackages the same rotten meat.

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  7. Well I'm certainly not holding a gun to your head, Steve. It's unfortunate that you've taken such a hostile tone with me. I'm not your enemy, nor have I ever said anything hostile against you. But I accept it for what it is.

    I'll leave you in peace and with my best wishes.

    Humbly yours,
    Thom

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  8. No, you're not *my* enemy. You are, however, an enemy of God.

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  9. How can all this advance praise be coming out for a book that people admit they have not read yet?

    I smell a backroom publishers deal.

    Something is rotten is Denmark.

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  10. And face it, if John Loftus is praising the book, its only because he thinks it is taking a swipe at Christianity.

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  11. Thom,

    John Loftus and Hector Avalos do not think you should have written this book. They claim that only "experts" are allowed to write on any given topic X.

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  12. Paul,

    You of course know that this only applies to Christians, because they are by definition ignorant and uneducated. Because "educated evangelical" is an oxymoron. Why? Because they disagree with liberal scholarship.

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  13. Nothing says Christ like meeting an open hand with a fist. Hope you guys feel proud.

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  14. Neal,

    That too. Also, TCD tells us that atheists have higher I.Q.'s than Christians. So atheism is expertise on whatever the atheist pops off about.

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  15. Jon,

    When someone comes up to one with an open hand and a knife hidden behind their back in the other one, and one knows this, a good sock in the face is one of the best things you can do.

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  16. Thom,
    Isn't rewriting the preface inimical to a four month projected publicaiton date?

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  17. In fact the whole scale of this operation seems suspicious to me. Who is this with? Ashgate? Erdmans?

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