In a very real sense, the modern world began 350 summers ago when a young man was excommunicated by the Jewish community in Amsterdam. The excommunication of Baruch (later changed to Benedict) Spinoza is one of the hallmark events in the development of the modern mind and modern secularism. The anniversary of Baruch Spinoza’s excommunication also serves as a reminder of the ideological roots of modern biblical criticism and the political agenda behind Spinoza’s critical approach to the Bible. Born November 24, 1632 to Michael de Espinoza and Hana Debora, his second wife, Baruch Spinoza was a son of privilege. His ancestors had fled Portugal and Spain during the Inquisition and the Spinoza family became pillars of the Marrano Jewish community in Amsterdam.

Charlotte Allen, an editor at Beliefnet, offers a very insightful (and intentionally controversial) opinion column in Sunday’s edition of The Los Angeles Times. From her essay:

The American denominational landscape has experienced significant shifts in recent times, but one major story stands out among them all–the massive redirection of the Southern Baptist Convention. America’s largest evangelical denomination, the Southern Baptist Convention was reshaped, reformed, and restructured over the last three decades, and at an incredibly high cost. Was it worth it?

Gary Emerling of The Washington Times reports that churches in the D.C. area are gearing up to respond to the challenge of The Da Vinci Code movie, set for release May 19.

The Glenmary Research Center has produced “county-level choropleth maps” of America, marking religious identification. These are fascinating to review.

Today’s commentary, “From Traitor to Hero? Responding to ‘The Gospel of Judas,’”should offer some assistance as Christians attempt to wade through all the media attention devoted to the publication of The Gospel of Judas. I also discussed this issue on Thursday’s edition of The Albert Mohler Program. My guest was Dr. Darrell Bock, Research Professor of New Testament Studies at Dallas Theological Seminary in Dallas, Texas.

Headlines around the world are announcing the publication of a “long lost” and “suppressed” ancient document, known as The Gospel of Judas. The announcement led to a frenzy of media coverage, ranging from responsible reports to outrageous sensationalism. According to some commentators, the publication of this new document will force a complete reformulation of Christianity and our understanding of both Judas and Jesus. In his commentary today, Dr. Mohler argues that, in fact, nothing of the sort is in view.