"Scholarship or Apologetics? How to Tell the Difference" - BES Virtual Platform

Scholarship or Apologetics? How to Tell the Difference
John Gleason
Godless Engineer

Description:
“Scholarship or Apologetics?” argues that contemporary New Testament studies too often blur into faith‐defense, contrasting the evidence-driven norms of science with apologetic methods characterized by non-sequitur reasoning, ad hoc claims, selective use or fabrication of evidence, and quote-mining; using the Kalam cosmological, teleological, and anti-evolution arguments as case studies, the presentation then shows how similar tactics appear in biblical scholarship through criteria like dissimilarity and embarrassment, philosophical leaps about the resurrection, and reliance on hypothetical sources (Q, M, L), while advocating the more parsimonious Farrer hypothesis of Gospel dependence; drawing on Carrier, Fitzgerald, and Avalos, it equips the audience to spot “educated apologetics” and urges rigorous, transparent, evidence-first evaluation, especially when weighing claims about Jesus’s historicity.

Biography:
John Gleason: I’m an ex-Christian who grew up without real guidance in critical thinking and was told to accept literalist claims that never added up. When I finally questioned them, I felt alone. Now I use my platform so others don’t have to. To me, “godless” means we’ve moved past religion without shame. If my work helps even one person feel seen and encourages them to stand up and use their voice, it’s worth it.