The Heresy of Orthodoxy, ch. 3

What has become clear is how little of the Bauer-Ehrman thesis actually takes into account the proper evidence for the discussions at hand. They seem to be more concerned about advancing an agenda than arriving at truth; an accusation they would probably turn on more orthodox Christian scholars. The problem, though, is that the obvious and overwhelming evidence lies on the side of orthodoxy. The authors, in this chapter, most cogently argue against this thesis than they have in previous. The thrice-cited admission of Jesus' authority in Mark 8:27-30; Luke 9:18-20; and John 6:66-69 shows both an orthodox position and a foundation off of which the church would be built. The authors take the time to march through some key books making a devastating case against Bauer-Ehrman. The final sentence of this chapter states it well saying "What we are arguing, then, is that the Bauer-Ehrman thesis is wrong not just because these scholars' interpretation of the data is wrong, but because their interpretation proceeds on the basis of a flawed interpretive paradigm (p. 101)." Well said.