Westar is a member-supported nonprofit organization. We conduct public, collaborative research seminars with academic scholars in the field of religion. Westar investigates issues in the history of Christianity and beyond to inform public discourse on culture, society, and civic life.
As a public-facing organization, we are committed to sharing the results of scholarly research in accessible language through publications, events, and other resources. Westar works in dialogue with the public to foster critical thinking about religion.
Paul the Pharisee: A Vision Beyond the Violence of Civilization by John Dominic Crossan
The Westar Institute, under its Polebridge Press imprint, is proud to announce the release of esteemed biblical scholar John Dominic Crossan's groundbreaking new book, "Paul the Pharisee: A Vision Beyond the Violence of Civilization," soon to be available in hardback and e-book formats. This seminal work promises to reshape contemporary understanding of one of Christianity's most influential figures, presenting a revolutionary perspective on the apostle Paul through the lens of human evolution.
Westar began in 1985 when Robert W. Funk invited 30 New Testament scholars to join him in the Jesus Seminar, a collaborative inquiry about the historical Jesus. Since its founding, Westar has held a series of innovative seminars on the origins of Christianity. But Funk’s founding vision was larger than scholarship for its own sake. His aim was to make religious literacy as ubiquitous as reading, writing, and arithmetic.
What does the Bible say about same-sex relationships? Did women have authority in the early Jesus movements? How were gender, sexuality, and morality understood in early Jesus movements? These are critical questions precisely because misrepresentations of Christian texts have shaped and continue to intersect with cultural, social, and political life in the US and throughout the world. Westar exists to pursue an honest and rigorous inquiry into the origins of the Christian tradition.
Bible Search & Rescue is an initiative of Westar Institute to make results and tools of academic biblical scholarship available to the general public.
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