Tuesday, June 22, 2010

The SBL Kerfuffle

The recent opinion piece by Professor Ronald Hendel has received considerable comment on various blogs. See, for example, "Danger Alert: Religious People Attend SBL."

I just received the following official word from the staff of the Society of Biblical Literature.

Professor Ronald S. Hendel recently published an opinion piece in Biblical Archaeology Review (see “Farewell to SBL: Faith and Reason in Biblical Studies”) in which he argues that “[in] recent years [SBL] has changed its position on the relationship between faith and reason in the study of the Bible.” We encourage all SBL members and other interested individuals to read the article in its entirety, then visit the SBL website for several clarifications of Professor Hendel’s claims as well as a request for an open discussion of the SBL and its standards for membership and organizational affiliations.