Univeristy of Wisconsin-Green Bay
Univeristy of Wisconsin-Green Bay

LLI Newsletter

News and Updates from UW-Green Bay Lifelong Learning Institute

Ben Cruz-Uribe presenting

Information About the Early Christianity Series

In 2014, I presented the first class in what has turned into a series on the History of Early Christianity. At the time, I did not expect to create more than three maybe four classes on this topic. Because of the overwhelmingly positive response from the members of LLI, I just continued adding more and more classes. Over a dozen of these classes were suggested to me by LLI members. Learn more.

The list below is current as of May 2026. It lists classes in the order in which they were created over the past decade. After the title is the number of times the class has been presented to LLI members over the past 11 years.

  1. The Role of Women in the Rise of Early Christianity (3 times)
  2. Lost Christianity: Heresies vs. Orthodoxies (1 time)
  3. The Canonical Gospels: Translation Facts and Issues (4 times)
  4. Judas Iscariot and His Gospel (5 times)
  5. The Lost Gospel of Peter (1 time)
  6. The Coptic Gospel of Thomas or The Fifth Canonical Gospel (1 time)
  7. Mary Magdalene and Her Gospels (2 times)
  8. The Longer Gospel of Mark (2 times)
  9. Gospels of Matthew and Luke: Two Christmas Stories (3 times)
  10. The Passion from Four Gospels: Facts and Issues (2 times) 
  11. The Resurrection: Facts and Issues (1 time)
  12. The Twelve Apostles:  Facts vs. Myths (1 time)
  13. The Different Gospel of John: Conflation Issues (2 times)
  14. The Authorship of the Gospel of Matthew: Facts and Issues (2 times)
  15. The Great Omission of the Gospel of Luke (2 times)
  16. The Primacy of the Gospel of Mark (2 times)
  17. The Revelation of John: Facts, Myths, and Misconceptions (1 time)
  18. The Formation of the New Testament Canon (1 time)
  19. The Family of Jesus: Facts, Myths, and Misconceptions (1 time)
  20. First Christian Generation: Facts, Myths, and Misconceptions (1 time)
  21. Who Was Jesus of Nazareth? Facts, Myths, and Misconceptions (1 time)
  22. The Persecution of Early Christians: Facts, Myths and Misconceptions (1 time)
  23. The Gospel of Q: The Earliest Gospel (1 time)
  24. The Divine Feminine: The Female Aspect of God (1 time)
  25. How Jesus Became God (1 time)
  26. The End Times and the Revelation of John (1 time)
  27. The History of Christian Baptism (first time in February 2026)
  28. The History of Christian Eucharist (first time in April 2026)

Many newer members who have attended classes later on the list often hear me refer to earlier classes. It is my intention to make each class unique and to be able to stand on its own content. However, attendees will often cite comments that I made in earlier classes. To compensate, I had informed the curriculum committee of my intention to present again all classes that have only been shown once at some time over the next five years. Some classes, such as the Judas Iscariot one, have proven to be so popular that I will present it at least every three years (Judas Iscariot and His Gospel is scheduled again in April 2026).

Another question that I have gotten from members is simply this: “How did a Professor of Statistics end up teaching classes in Religious Studies?” Unfortunately, the answer is quite lengthy. Recently, I gave a sermon on this subject to a local congregation. The sermon is 18 minutes long. View sermon on YouTube.

I will add that having been a professor, I have kept track of all my research since that is what professors always do. Since 2002, when I started my intense self-training into the history of early Christianity, I have read 154 books and viewed 23 online classes related to the subject and looked at over 250 websites. The research never ends.
If you have an idea for a new class, please let me know.

Author: Ben Cruz-Uribe