Ep. 238 - Dr. Bart Ehrman "Love Thy Stranger" pt. 1
The Deconstructionists
John Williamson
4.4 • 823 Ratings
🗓️ 6 May 2026
⏱️ 45 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Dr. Bart Ehrman – Love Thy Stranger: How the Teachings of Jesus Transformed the Moral Conscience of the West (Part 1)
In Part 1 of our conversation with renowned New Testament scholar and historian Dr. Bart Ehrman, we dive into his latest book, "Love Thy Stranger: How the Teachings of Jesus Transformed the Moral Conscience of the West".
For centuries, people have debated whether Christianity has been a force for compassion or division. But what if one of the most radical moral ideas in human history came directly from the teachings of Jesus himself?
In this episode, Bart explores how concepts like caring for the poor, loving enemies, and extending compassion beyond one’s tribe were not common moral assumptions in the ancient world—and how the teachings attributed to Jesus helped reshape Western moral imagination over time.
We also discuss:
- What morality looked like in the ancient Greco-Roman world
- Why compassion was often viewed as weakness in antiquity
- The historical context surrounding Jesus’ teachings
- The difference between Jesus’ message and later Christian institutions
- Whether modern secular morality still carries the fingerprints of Christianity
- Why many people misunderstand the historical Jesus
- The tension between the teachings of Jesus and modern Christian nationalism
- How history complicates simplistic narratives about religion’s role in society
As always, this conversation approaches faith, history, and culture through the lens of scholarship, curiosity, and honest dialogue.
About Dr. Bart Ehrman
Dr. Bart Ehrman is one of the world’s leading scholars on the New Testament and early Christianity. He is the James A. Gray Distinguished Professor of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the author of numerous bestselling books including:
- "Misquoting Jesus"
- "Jesus, Interrupted"
- "Heaven and Hell"
- "Armageddon"
His work focuses on the historical Jesus, the development of early Christianity, biblical manuscripts, and how religious ideas evolve over time.
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Bart Ehrman Links
Official Website: https://www.bartehrman.com
Books & Courses: https://www.bartehrman.com/books/
Thank you for listening to The Deconstructionists Podcast.
Part 2 of our conversation with Dr. Bart Ehrman will be available soon.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | And, I mean, just to take immigration as exactly, I'm not proposing particular immigration |
| 0:04.5 | policy at all. |
| 0:06.2 | Like I'm not taking, you know, but I am saying that if somebody says that they're a Bible |
| 0:11.0 | believer and they believe in getting rid of all of immigrants because they don't belong here, |
| 0:16.7 | the Bible is quite clear on this, that in Israel, loving your neighbors yourself, as I said earlier, |
| 0:22.1 | means fellow Israelites, but in the Bible explicitly states that anybody emigrates into Israel. |
| 0:29.0 | Any immigrant is to be treated as an Israelite, the same as the citizens. |
| 0:32.9 | And so that's the biblical view. |
| 0:34.6 | So I'm not saying that we should have governmental policies based on biblical views. What I'm saying is that if you say that you're a believer in the Bible |
| 0:41.7 | and you're trying to follow its teachings, you should follow its teachings instead of making |
| 0:46.4 | up your own teachings and then saying the Bible supports it. |
| 0:49.0 | Welcome to the Deconstructionist podcast. |
| 0:59.0 | I'm your host John Williamson. |
| 1:00.9 | And today on The Deconstructionist podcast, I am joined by one of the most well-known and widely |
| 1:05.6 | respected New Testament scholars in the world and someone who is a first-time guest and somebody I've wanted to have on for a while, Dr. Bart Erman. |
| 1:14.6 | If you spent any time exploring questions around the Bible, early Christianity, or the historical Jesus, |
| 1:20.8 | there's a good chance you've come across his work. He's a professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
| 1:26.9 | and the author of numerous |
| 1:28.6 | bestselling books that have helped bring critical scholarship into the public conversation |
| 1:33.7 | in a really accessible way. |
| 1:35.9 | In this two-part conversation, we're diving into his latest book that should be out right |
| 1:40.3 | about now called Love Thy Stranger, How the teachings of Jesus transformed the moral conscience of the West. |
... |
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