On God's Problem: Bart D. Ehrman On His Transformation From Evangelist to Agnostic

Author Q&A By JEFFREY A. TRACHTENBERGMarch 7, 2008 7:51 p.m.
In his new book, "God's Problem: How the Bible Fails to Answer Our Most Important Question -- Why We Suffer" Bart D. Ehrman examines the paradox between faith in the divine and suffering on Earth.
Mr. Ehrman, a professor of religious studies at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, is the author of numerous titles, including 2005's "Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why." In his new work he describes how as a young man he was so devoted that he served as an altar boy through high school.
Mr. Ehrman, 52 years old, writes that he could "quote entire books of the New Testament, verse by verse, from memory." But he then had a crisis of faith. How was it possible that a loving, all-knowing God could allow so many to suffer? In the Bible, he writes, the prophets attributed suffering to the consequences of God's wrath. He also explores the idea that "salvation could emerge from suffering," and uses the story of Job to explain the apparent randomness of suffering. He also rejects the apocalyptic view that suffering is part of a larger plan that will end when God eliminates the wicked and embraces his true followers. Mr. Ehrman, who lives in Durham, N.C., was interviewed by The Wall Street Journal's Jeffrey A. Trachtenberg.
The Wall Street Journal: Do you now describe yourself as an atheist?
Bart D. Ehrman: No, I describe myself as an agnostic. An atheist declares there is no God. An agnostic says that they don't know. I don't believe that the God of the Bible exists, the God who intervenes in history and answers prayer. But is there a superior force in the universe? I don't know.
WSJ: In the first chapter of your book, you write that you have lost your faith, that you no longer go to church, and that you don't consider yourself a Christian. Isn't this unusual for somebody with such a long and serious religious background?
Mr. Ehrman: I'm getting hundreds of emails, and more than half are from people with conservative religious upbringings who now so doubt their faith that they don't know what to call themselves. Also, departments of religious studies are notorious for being staffed by people who don't believe in the traditions that they teach.
LISTEN TO AN EXCERPT

In the first chapter of "God's Problem" Mr. Ehrman discusses his background. Listen to L.J. Ganzer read from the book.
WSJ: What does your family think of this?
Mr. Ehrman: They don't know what to make of it. My mom is still a good evangelical Christian woman. We talk basketball rather than religion.
WSJ: You live and work in the Bible Belt. Don't you feel a little out of place?
Mr. Ehrman: Chapel Hill is very liberal. Jesse Helms once said that North Carolina doesn't need a zoo, they could just build a fence around Chapel Hill. This isn't quite the same as rural North Carolina.
WSJ: Isn't suffering a natural part of life?
Mr. Ehrman: I think it is, yes. Suffering is random and chaotic and capricious, and the difficulty in the Christian tradition is that God is supposed to be sovereign over the world. So in theory there shouldn't be capricious suffering. If God is actively involved and loves his people and can resolve their problems, why doesn't he? People think God answers prayer, but that seems strange to me.
WSJ: But if people didn't suffer, they might not turn to organized religion.
Mr. Ehrman: And if people didn't starve to death they wouldn't die. I don't believe they died in order for me to show up at church on Sunday morning. Suffering isn't there to make us more religious. What God would create massive suffering so that we'll turn to him?
WSJ: I thought faith, by definition, overcomes all doubts.
Mr. Ehrman: A lot of people struggle with their faith. I don't try to make people agnostic. But I try to get them to think about their faith. Sometimes the doubts have so much weight that they overcome faith. That's what happened to me. I didn't want to leave the Christian fold. I was very satisfied and there are many benefits to being within the fold. But I couldn't accept the counter evidence.
WSJ: What would a world that lacked suffering look like ?
Mr. Ehrman: Paradise. Some people say we need suffering to appreciate the good. But I can't believe that people have to starve to death so that I can appreciate my filet mignon tonight. In the Christian tradition the world was created without suffering. So it's not inconceivable that a world could exist without suffering. And the aftermath will be without suffering. So from the beginning of all things and the end of all things, Christians agree that there could be world without suffering.
WSJ: Near the end of your book, you poke fun at those who insist on believing "this is the best of all possible worlds." But as a nonbeliever, surely this is your only world. In light of all the suffering you describe, why do you describe yourself as "very cheerful?"
Mr. Ehrman: I have a great life. Things are good. The world isn't only a place of misery. There is also joy and happiness. And we have to embrace that.
Write to Jeffrey A. Trachtenberg at jeffrey.trachtenberg@wsj.com