Join us for this special Christmas-season mini-course with Dr. Bart Ehrman, featuring two insightful 50-minute lectures and an engaging Q&A session!

Course Overview:

Many of us celebrate Christmas as a season of joy, carols, family gatherings, and gift-giving, but the original Christmas story isn’t all light and cheer. In The Dark Side of Christmas, Dr. Bart Ehrman explores a more complex, often-overlooked darker Christmas narrative in Gospels of Matthew and Luke.  Bart will examine how these Gospel accounts highlight that the birth of the Son of God did not come without profound suffering, challenges, and even sorrow. 

Why would the authors include pain and struggles in their birth narratives?  Is it perhaps because that's just the way it happened?  Or are they trying to tell us something many of us have never stopped to consider?

Join us to discover how these ancient stories reflect the full spectrum of human experience during the holiday season. For those who have experienced hardship or loss, this course also offers a space for understanding and reflection, showing that Christmas has always held a place for both joy and sorrow. 

Sign up before midnight on November 24th EST to secure our special early bird price and join the live recording on December 7th!

Key Topics Covered In This Mini-Course:

• The Nature of the Gospel Accounts: New Testament scholars have long recognized that the nativity stories in Matthew and Luke are not merely factual reports. We will explore why these accounts, while rooted in tradition, convey deeper meanings intended by their authors.

• The Complex Portrayal of Jesus' Birth: Rather than presenting the birth of Jesus as solely a joyous occasion, both Matthew and Luke reveal that it was accompanied by significant pain and suffering for others. We will delve into the reasons behind this portrayal.
• The Census Journey: We will discuss the necessity of the widespread journey to register for a census and why Jesus' birthplace had to be Bethlehem. Was it essential for him to be born there, or could he have been born in a more convenient location?
• Mary’s Difficult Journey: Why did Mary, in her late pregnancy, have to travel a long distance without finding shelter to give birth? This question leads us to reflect on the hardships faced by the Holy Family.
• The Tragedy of Innocent Lives: The account of Herod's massacre of infants raises profound ethical and theological questions. What does this narrative reveal about the loss of innocent life and the heartbreak experienced by grieving parents?
• The Family's Exile: We will examine the implications of Joseph and Mary becoming immigrants in Egypt, highlighting the stark realities of their struggle and how this aligns with prophetic fulfillment.
• God’s Plan and Human Suffering: Both Gospel writers suggest that the arrival of the Son of God coincided with existing misery and even exacerbated it. We will explore why they believed this was necessary and what it reveals about the nature of divine intention in a world filled with suffering. 

Ultimately, we will ask: Is the Christmas story a joyous tale or a complex narrative of pain and redemption?

The retail price for this course will be $24.95. However, if you purchase this course before midnight on November 24th, you can enjoy lifetime access to all course materials and the Q&A session for a special early bird price of only $19.95! Plus, you'll have the opportunity to attend the live online recording on December 7th, just as you would if you were attending one of Bart's in-person lectures!

Registration Includes Lifetime Access to the 2-Lesson Online Course complete with: 

• Two 50-minute lectures by Dr. Bart Ehrman 
• One 30-minute Q&A session
• PDF lesson guides 
• Questions for reflection
• Additional reading list to dive deeper 
• Audio downloads for listening on the go 

($49.95 Value)