The truth according to Bart D. Ehrman

[Aractus]

How is he outside the mainstream? Isn't he primarily a popularizer of knowledge not considered that controversial by most Biblical scholars? If you're going to invoke popularity, I'd like more evidence that his views are considered controversial by most (the majority, at least) of other Biblical scholars.

It'd be like if I got all my information on cosmology from Halton Arp. He's one of the very few cosmologists who totally disbelieve the big bang. Yes he's a serious, and in many ways, well-respected cosmologist. But he also has wild theories that fall well outside of general theory in cosmology.