Bart Ehrman
New Testament scholar who went from evangelical faith to agnosticism over the problem of suffering.
18 videos analysed · 83 quotes checked word for word · updated 2026-10-18
Key facts
- Professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill since 1988. Wikipédia 2026 · Bart D. Ehrman
- Author of Misquoting Jesus (2005), God's Problem (2008), Did Jesus Exist? (2012) and How Jesus Became God (2014). Wikipédia 2026 · Bart D. Ehrman
- Received the American Humanist Association's Religious Liberty Award in 2011. Wikipédia 2026 · Bart D. Ehrman
- Raised Episcopalian in Kansas, he had a born-again experience at 15 in a youth group and became a committed evangelical. Video 2026 · Did Jesus Rise From the Dead? A…
Positions
click a row to see the evidenceHe says he no longer believes the Christian message. He calls himself an agnostic atheist: atheist about belief, agnostic about knowledge. In 2010 he said he does not believe in the God of the Bible, and whether some other greater force exists, 'I don't know and neither does anyone else.' In 2026 he said he is not a radical atheist who insists there is no God, but that he does not think there is one.
1978 A committed evangelical, trained at Moody Bible Institute and Wheaton College, who held the Bible to be inerrant. Wikipédia 2026 · Bart D. Ehrman
1998 Around this time he concludes he no longer believes in any God, mainly over the problem of suffering. In a 2008 lecture he said he had become an agnostic 9 or 10 years earlier, after being a Christian his whole life. Video 2008 · How the Bible Explains Suffering…
- What led him away from faith was the problem of suffering, not his scholarship: a loving, all-powerful God does not fit a world where people suffer so much. Video 2026 · Did Jesus Rise From the Dead? A…2
- The Bible gives many answers to suffering, some in conflict (God punishes sin, free will, a greater plan). He finds none satisfying. Video 2026 · Did Jesus Rise From the Dead? A…23
- Free will cannot explain natural disasters like the Haiti earthquake, and if believers will still have free will in heaven without sinning, a world with free will but no suffering should be possible. Video 2010 · Theodicy, God and Suffering: a…2
- To the answer that God knows best and we cannot question him, he replies that this means not using our intelligence. A God who could not make a living planet without tectonic plates would be too small. Video 2025 · The Great Debate: God,…
- He stays agnostic, not a radical atheist: declaring that no God can exist lacks humility before so amazing a universe, but he does not believe in a God who acts in the world and answers prayer. Video 2010 · Theodicy, God and Suffering: a…2
Free will explains suffering: God lets people choose, and the evil that follows is their doing.
He says free will cannot explain natural disasters such as the Haiti earthquake. And if believers keep free will in heaven without sinning, a world with free will but no suffering should be possible.
A world that can host life needs natural evils such as tectonic plates, so some suffering cannot be avoided.
He answers that a God who could not make a living planet without tectonic plates would be too small.
See 1 more objections
Our knowledge is local and God's is divine: Job's suffering is not incomprehensible to God, and we can begin to see the wisdom of God even if suffering still hurts.
He replies that this means not using our intelligence to understand why there is suffering.
Defends : The problem of evilMixed : Against miraclesCriticizes : Freedom has a price: evil does not contradict God, The moral law points to a lawgiver
At the end of God's Problem he offers a utilitarian answer: make life as fulfilling as possible for yourself and for others. In 2008 he said it himself: 'I have a fairly traditional utilitarian view, whatever is good for the most people is good.'
He says our moral feelings are inclinations shaped by human development, and that this does not mean there is an objective moral standard. He still holds firm moral commitments, such as helping the hungry and the homeless.
- Morality is what is good for people: whatever is good for the most people is good. He holds a fairly traditional utilitarian view. Video 2008 · How the Bible Explains Suffering…
- God is not needed to know right from wrong. As a Christian he feared leaving faith would lead to immorality; it did not, so he now thinks that fear was a false belief. Video 2008 · How the Bible Explains Suffering…
- The Bible's God cannot be the basis of morality, since he starves and kills in the Bible (as in Amos). We know good and evil from what is good for one another, and the golden rule. Video 2010 · Theodicy, God and Suffering: a…2
- Our moral feelings can be explained by how humans developed, without God. They feel strong, but this does not prove an objective moral standard. Video 2026 · Sean McDowell vs Bart Ehrman:…2
Without God there is no objective morality: feelings produced by time, matter and chance have no authority.
He says we have inclinations that tell us right from wrong, but that does not mean there is an objective standard. In his view these feelings can be explained by how humans developed, without God.
Without God's character as the basis of good, how do you measure evil?
He says it is a problem to think we know what is good because of God: in the Bible God starves and kills (Amos). We know good and evil from what is good for one another, and the golden rule needs no God.
See 1 more objections
Treat every person as an end, never only as a means: counting the greatest number can sacrifice an individual.
Criticizes : The good is what God commands
He says there may be no answer to suffering, but there is a response: live life to the full and help others, 'because this life is all there is.'
- Behind suffering there is no hidden meaning: the world is random and chaotic, and people sometimes get in the way of it. Video 2008 · How the Bible Explains Suffering…
- Since this life is all there is, we should enjoy it as much as we can and work to make life better for those who are less fortunate. Video 2008 · How the Bible Explains Suffering…
Meaning is not invented, it is discovered: we do not choose what gives life its sense.
When everything seems vain, only faith gives life a meaning that lasts.
No sourced position yet on: Source of knowledge, Certainty, Mind and body, Freedom, Faith and reason, Human nature.
On the big questions
Does God exist?Agnosticism
He rejects the biblical God, and says he does not know whether any God exists.
- What led him away from faith was the problem of suffering, not his scholarship: a loving, all-powerful God does not fit a world where people suffer so much. Video 2026 · Did Jesus Rise From the Dead? A…2
- The Bible gives many answers to suffering, some in conflict (God punishes sin, free will, a greater plan). He finds none satisfying. Video 2026 · Did Jesus Rise From the Dead? A…23
- Free will cannot explain natural disasters like the Haiti earthquake, and if believers will still have free will in heaven without sinning, a world with free will but no suffering should be possible. Video 2010 · Theodicy, God and Suffering: a…2
- To the answer that God knows best and we cannot question him, he replies that this means not using our intelligence. A God who could not make a living planet without tectonic plates would be too small. Video 2025 · The Great Debate: God,…
- He stays agnostic, not a radical atheist: declaring that no God can exist lacks humility before so amazing a universe, but he does not believe in a God who acts in the world and answers prayer. Video 2010 · Theodicy, God and Suffering: a…2
Free will explains suffering: God lets people choose, and the evil that follows is their doing.
He says free will cannot explain natural disasters such as the Haiti earthquake. And if believers keep free will in heaven without sinning, a world with free will but no suffering should be possible.
A world that can host life needs natural evils such as tectonic plates, so some suffering cannot be avoided.
He answers that a God who could not make a living planet without tectonic plates would be too small.
See 1 more objections
Our knowledge is local and God's is divine: Job's suffering is not incomprehensible to God, and we can begin to see the wisdom of God even if suffering still hurts.
He replies that this means not using our intelligence to understand why there is suffering.
Defends : The problem of evilMixed : Against miraclesCriticizes : Freedom has a price: evil does not contradict God, The moral law points to a lawgiver
The question on the site: all the argumentsDoes life have a meaning?A meaning to create
He sees no given meaning behind suffering, and answers it by living fully and helping others.
- Behind suffering there is no hidden meaning: the world is random and chaotic, and people sometimes get in the way of it. Video 2008 · How the Bible Explains Suffering…
- Since this life is all there is, we should enjoy it as much as we can and work to make life better for those who are less fortunate. Video 2008 · How the Bible Explains Suffering…
Meaning is not invented, it is discovered: we do not choose what gives life its sense.
When everything seems vain, only faith gives life a meaning that lasts.
What makes something right?Consequences
He holds a utilitarian view and says morality does not need God or an objective standard.
- Morality is what is good for people: whatever is good for the most people is good. He holds a fairly traditional utilitarian view. Video 2008 · How the Bible Explains Suffering…
- God is not needed to know right from wrong. As a Christian he feared leaving faith would lead to immorality; it did not, so he now thinks that fear was a false belief. Video 2008 · How the Bible Explains Suffering…
- The Bible's God cannot be the basis of morality, since he starves and kills in the Bible (as in Amos). We know good and evil from what is good for one another, and the golden rule. Video 2010 · Theodicy, God and Suffering: a…2
- Our moral feelings can be explained by how humans developed, without God. They feel strong, but this does not prove an objective moral standard. Video 2026 · Sean McDowell vs Bart Ehrman:…2
Without God there is no objective morality: feelings produced by time, matter and chance have no authority.
He says we have inclinations that tell us right from wrong, but that does not mean there is an objective standard. In his view these feelings can be explained by how humans developed, without God.
Without God's character as the basis of good, how do you measure evil?
He says it is a problem to think we know what is good because of God: in the Bible God starves and kills (Amos). We know good and evil from what is good for one another, and the golden rule needs no God.
See 1 more objections
Treat every person as an end, never only as a means: counting the greatest number can sacrifice an individual.
Criticizes : The good is what God commands
The question on the site: all the argumentsIn their words
Suffering increasingly became a problem for me and my faith.
To say that he eventually will make right all that is wrong seems to me, now, to be pure wishful thinking.
I'm not a radical atheist who insists there is no God. But I don't think there is.
I think that at the end of the day we're all agnostics, even the atheists.
1 more quotes
This problem of suffering led me away from belief in a personal, omnipotent, powerful, loving God.
How the ideas evolved
Click a step for details1978Evangelical at Moody and Wheaton
Raised Episcopalian, he moves into evangelical circles at the Moody Bible Institute and Wheaton College. He graduates from Wheaton in 1978.
1985PhD at Princeton Theological Seminary
He earns his PhD under Bruce Metzger. He leaves the evangelical fold in his mid-20s but stays a Christian for about twenty years.
1998 Change of mindLoses his faith
Around this year he concludes that he no longer believes the Christian message and becomes an agnostic. The problem of suffering, which none of the biblical answers settled for him, led him away from belief in a personal, powerful, loving God.
In their words« I'm not sure at the end of the day there's an answer to suffering »Concludes that the Bible gives several, sometimes contradictory answers to suffering, and perhaps no real answer, but that we can have a response. watch
« we should enjoy life as much as we can for as long as we can »His response to suffering: live life to the full and work to make life better for those less fortunate, because this life is all there is. watch
« this problem of suffering led me away from belief in a personal omnipotent powerful loving God »Says that the problem of suffering led him away from belief in a personal, all-powerful, loving God, and that he does not subscribe to the Judeo-Christian view of God. watch
2006Debate with William Lane Craig
At Holy Cross he argues against the claim that there is historical evidence for the resurrection of Jesus. The exchange is lively and at times testy.
2008God's Problem
He publishes a book on why we suffer. He finds that none of the Bible's answers is intellectually or morally satisfying.
2008Debate with Mike Licona on the resurrection
In Kansas City he says he once preached the physical resurrection with all his heart. As a historian he argues that history cannot prove that Jesus rose from the dead.
In their words« I used to believe in the physical resurrection of Jesus my entire heart and soul »Says he once believed in the physical resurrection with all his heart and preached it, until he studied the matter himself in the original languages. watch
« I'm not a a philosopher I am a historian »Presents himself as a historian, not a philosopher, in the resurrection debate. watch
« do I personally think she appeared to them no but as a historian can I prove it no »With the 1968 Zeitoun apparitions of Mary as an example, argues that a historian cannot prove such a miracle, even when many people claim to have seen it. watch
2008No answer to suffering, but a response
In a Berkeley lecture on God's Problem he says the Bible gives several answers that sometimes contradict each other, and perhaps none that works. His own response: enjoy life, and work to make it better for others.
In their words« I'm not sure at the end of the day there's an answer to suffering »Concludes that the Bible gives several, sometimes contradictory answers to suffering, and perhaps no real answer, but that we can have a response. watch
« we should enjoy life as much as we can for as long as we can »His response to suffering: live life to the full and work to make life better for those less fortunate, because this life is all there is. watch
« this problem of suffering led me away from belief in a personal omnipotent powerful loving God »Says that the problem of suffering led him away from belief in a personal, all-powerful, loving God, and that he does not subscribe to the Judeo-Christian view of God. watch
2010Agnostic rather than atheist
In a debate on suffering, he explains that he does not believe in the God of the Bible, yet says that declaring there can be no God lacks humility before so amazing a universe.
In their words« the problem with the Free Will explanation is that it doesn't explain natural disasters »Argues that the free will explanation cannot account for natural disasters such as the Haiti earthquake or the tsunami. watch
« God can do anything he wants he doesn't want people to suffer and yet people suffer »States the theological problem of suffering: an all-powerful, all-loving God would not let people suffer, yet they do. watch
« is there other some other greater force in the universe I don't know and neither does anyone else »Says he does not believe in the God of the Bible, but does not know whether some other greater force exists, and neither does anyone else. watch
2014Doubts the empty tomb
While writing How Jesus Became God he comes to think there was no empty tomb: the Romans left crucified bodies on the cross. He still thinks some disciples had visions of Jesus.
In their words« whatever else you want to say about Jesus of Nazareth I think you can say that he certainly existed »Opens his case that Jesus of Nazareth certainly existed. watch
« I believe it's important to know what actually happened in the past even if we would prefer that something else had happened »Says he is not a believer in Jesus but believes in history. watch
« I came to think uh something that before that I thought was crazy which is I I came to think there really was no empty tomb »Explains that while writing How Jesus Became God he came to think there was no empty tomb, since Romans left crucified bodies on the cross. watch
2017 Change of mindNo longer sees the empty tomb as a fact
Looking back on the Craig debate, he writes that he no longer thinks the empty tomb is a fact, and would contest it today.
The arguments 5
The site's arguments they defend or criticize, and why. Click a title to see the full argument.
The problem of suffering is the reason he gives for losing his faith: a loving, all-powerful God does not fit the facts of life. In 2026 he put it this way: with an all-powerful, loving God, people would not starve to death every minute.
He says claims about the resurrection are theological, not historical: history can only say what probably happened, and a miracle is the least probable explanation. In 2026 he said he does not decide categorically: one weighs whether it is more probable that the event happened or that the witnesses erred or made it up. In 2008 he said that even with thousands of claimed sightings of Mary, he could not prove it as a historian.
He says free will explains human-caused evil but not natural disasters, and that calling suffering a mystery admits there is no answer. In 2010 he added that if believers will have free will in heaven but no suffering, a world with free will and no suffering is possible.
He says the Bible's God starves and kills people to bring them back (as in Amos), so morality cannot be based on God's actions. We know good and evil from what is good for one another, and the golden rule needs no God.
Against the moral argument, he says our moral inclinations can be explained without God, by how humans developed. He compares them to a taste for a drink: they feel strong, but this does not prove an objective value.
Allies and opponents
William Lane CraigDisagrees
Debated him on the resurrection in 2006; they have not been in contact since.
MMike LiconaDisagrees
Debated him on whether historians can prove the resurrection, in 2008 and again in 2022, in a friendly tone (they had dinner before the 2008 debate).
DDinesh D'SouzaDisagrees
Debated the problem of suffering and God in 2010. D'Souza answers with free will and the claim that a life-bearing world needs natural evils.
RRobert PriceDisagrees
Debated whether Jesus existed in 2016. Ehrman says yes; they agree the miracle stories are not true.
SSean McDowellDisagrees
Discussed in 2026 whether morality is objective. McDowell defends moral realism and the moral argument; Ehrman explains morality by human inclinations.
GGlen ScrivenerDisagrees
Debated in 2022 whether modern values such as equality and compassion come from Christianity. Ehrman says they have Christian and other roots, and still values the New Testament teaching of helping those in need.
Sam HarrisDisagrees
In 2008 he said of the new atheists (Dawkins, Hitchens, Harris) that they know very little about religion, and that religion does good as well as evil.
Debates and big conversations
Signature ideas
Jesus never called himself God
He lines up the sources in time: Mark, Q, Matthew's and Luke's own material never have Jesus claim to be God. Only John, the last gospel, does. He thinks it implausible that six earlier sources would all have left it out. For him Jesus saw himself as the prophet, and future king, of a coming kingdom.
Visions, not an empty tomb
He thinks some disciples, such as Paul, Peter and perhaps Mary Magdalene, had visions of Jesus after his death, as people sometimes do of lost loved ones. A claim that 500 people saw him is not evidence in itself. In the New Testament the empty tomb brings doubt, never faith.
Closest and furthest
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All sources (48)
- Bart D. Ehrman Wikipedia · 2026
- Why Would I Call Myself Both an Agnostic and an Atheist? A Blast from the Past The Bart Ehrman Blog (on Goodreads) · 2018
- Bart Ehrman (Freedom From Religion Foundation, Freethought of the Day) Freedom From Religion Foundation · 2021 *
- Bart Ehrman: Questioning Religion on Why We Suffer NPR Fresh Air · 2008 *
- God's Problem: How the Bible Fails to Answer Our Most Important Question (review) Journal of Lutheran Ethics (ELCA) · 2008 *
- Excerpt: God's Problem NPR / WFAE · 2008
- Bart Ehrman on Problem of Suffering (Conversations with History, 2008) The Bart Ehrman Blog · 2016
- William Lane Craig and Bart Ehrman: Is there historical evidence for the resurrection of Jesus? Reasonable Faith (transcript) · 2006
- Ehrman on God's Problem The Christian Century · 2008 *
- Ehrman vs Craig: Evidence for Resurrection The Bart Ehrman Blog · 2017
- Doesn't Free Will Explain Suffering? The Bart Ehrman Blog · 2024
- How the Bible Explains Suffering with Bart Ehrman (UC Berkeley) YouTube (UCTV) · 2008
- Ehrman-Licona Debate: Can Historians Prove that Jesus Rose from the Dead? YouTube · 2008
- Theodicy, God and Suffering: a debate between Dinesh D'Souza and Bart Ehrman YouTube · 2010
- Theodicy, God and Suffering: a debate between Dinesh D'Souza and Bart Ehrman YouTube · 2010
- Ehrman-Butt Debate: Suffering and God's Existence YouTube · 2014
- Bart Ehrman and Robert Price debate: Did Jesus Exist? YouTube · 2016
- Bart Ehrman v Glen Scrivener: Did Christianity give us our belief in equality, compassion and consent? YouTube · 2022
- Did Jesus Even Claim to be God? Bart Ehrman Says No YouTube (Within Reason) · 2023
- Sean McDowell vs Bart Ehrman: The Moral Argument, Guilt, and the Teachings of Jesus YouTube · 2026
- Sean McDowell vs Bart Ehrman: The Moral Argument, Guilt, and the Teachings of Jesus YouTube · 2026
- Did Jesus Rise From the Dead? A Debate with Bart Ehrman (Interesting Times with Ross Douthat) YouTube (Interesting Times) · 2026
- Did Jesus Rise From the Dead? A Debate with Bart Ehrman (Interesting Times with Ross Douthat) YouTube (Interesting Times) · 2026
- Did Jesus Rise From the Dead? A Debate with Bart Ehrman (Interesting Times with Ross Douthat) YouTube (Interesting Times) · 2026
- The Great Debate: God, Suffering, and Evil, Dinesh D'Souza vs. Bart Ehrman YouTube (republication) · 2025
- The Great Debate: God, Suffering, and Evil, Dinesh D'Souza vs. Bart Ehrman YouTube (republication) · 2025
- Sean McDowell vs Bart Ehrman: The Moral Argument, Guilt, and the Teachings of Jesus YouTube · 2026
- Theodicy, God and Suffering: a debate between Dinesh D'Souza and Bart Ehrman YouTube · 2010
- Did Jesus Rise From the Dead? A Debate with Bart Ehrman (Interesting Times with Ross Douthat) YouTube (Interesting Times) · 2026
- How the Bible Explains Suffering with Bart Ehrman (UC Berkeley) YouTube (UCTV) · 2008
- Theodicy, God and Suffering: a debate between Dinesh D'Souza and Bart Ehrman YouTube · 2010
- Theodicy, God and Suffering: a debate between Dinesh D'Souza and Bart Ehrman YouTube · 2010
- The Great Debate: God, Suffering, and Evil, Dinesh D'Souza vs. Bart Ehrman YouTube (republication) · 2025
- Theodicy, God and Suffering: a debate between Dinesh D'Souza and Bart Ehrman YouTube · 2010
- The Great Debate: God, Suffering, and Evil, Dinesh D'Souza vs. Bart Ehrman YouTube (republication) · 2025
- Theodicy, God and Suffering: a debate between Dinesh D'Souza and Bart Ehrman YouTube · 2010
- How the Bible Explains Suffering with Bart Ehrman (UC Berkeley) YouTube (UCTV) · 2008
- Ehrman-Licona Debate: Can Historians Prove that Jesus Rose from the Dead? YouTube · 2008
- Ehrman-Licona Debate: Can Historians Prove that Jesus Rose from the Dead? YouTube · 2008
- Bart Ehrman and Robert Price debate: Did Jesus Exist? YouTube · 2016
- Did Jesus Even Claim to be God? Bart Ehrman Says No YouTube (Within Reason) · 2023
- Did Jesus Rise From the Dead? A Debate with Bart Ehrman (Interesting Times with Ross Douthat) YouTube (Interesting Times) · 2026
- Did Jesus Even Claim to be God? Bart Ehrman Says No YouTube (Within Reason) · 2023
- Did Jesus Even Claim to be God? Bart Ehrman Says No YouTube (Within Reason) · 2023
- Ehrman-Licona Debate: Can Historians Prove that Jesus Rose from the Dead? YouTube · 2008
- Theodicy, God and Suffering: a debate between Dinesh D'Souza and Bart Ehrman YouTube · 2010
- How the Bible Explains Suffering with Bart Ehrman (UC Berkeley) YouTube (UCTV) · 2008
- Did Jesus Rise From the Dead? A Debate with Bart Ehrman (Interesting Times with Ross Douthat) YouTube (Interesting Times) · 2026