Two Views of Christian Origins

Here's some exciting news. Bibliobloggers Michael Bird and James Crossley will be facing off in a forthcoming book called Two Views of Christian Origins: An Evangelical and Secular Conversation. It's Craig and Crossan, and Wright and Borg, all over again -- though I expect it will be even more dynamic than those pairs for including a secular viewpoint (Crossley, unlike Crossan and Borg who are liberally faith-based) alongside the evangelical one.

On his blog, Michael describes the book as follows:

"The objective of 'Two Views' is to present two contrasting perspectives on the history of early Christianity. The contrast is evidently sharp as one co-author comes from a conservative Christian background (Michael Bird), whilst the other co-author (James Crossley) approaches the matter from a secular standpoint. The volume works sequentially through Christian origins and addresses various topics including the htorical Jesus, the resurrection of Jesus, the Apostle Paul, the Gospels, and the early church. Each author in turn examines these subjects and lays out his historical arguments concerning their origin and meaning. The volume also includes responses by two other scholars (Maurice Casey and Scot McKnight) to the arguments of Bird and Crossley as to give an even handed and broad evaluation of the arguments and debates that unfold."

The book is slated for release in the summer of 2008. Congratulations to Michael and James for such a great idea. This may well indeed turn out to be, as Michael puts it, "the mother-of-all historical debates about Christian origins."

UPDATE: James makes his own announcement.