Jim West wrote:"That Bock inoculates his students implies that they will get some sort of infection if they read Crossan unprotected. Yet, as far as I know, you can’t catch a disease from a book. If you, though, lose your faith because of one- you didn’t really have any to begin with."

The last sentence is a nonsense. Plenty of folk might claim the opposite, i.e. they gained a 'faith' by reading a book. And many could testify that they lost their 'faith' by reading a book. Why would you want to read a book involving 'faith' subjects if you didn't hope it might have some effect? Those who write religious books bear considerable reponsibility for changing people's lives. If 'catching a disease' by reading a book means changing one's mind about 'faith', then one can indeed lose one's faith so to speak by reading a book. And of course such books are not just for scholars, but also for those down there in the pews.