The last 2000 years of history are built on a lie.
1. There are several conspiracy theory attempts to “prove” that Jesus was not resurrected. They are all more preposterous than the idea that the creator of life itself could bring back to life someone who was dead. One is the “swoon theory” that Jesus, after being severely flogged and beaten and then crucified, wasn’t really dead but did a Houdini act and unwrapped the tight shroud, removed the heavy stone, sneaked past the guards, and appeared fresh and healthy to His followers.
2. The Muslims believe Allah provided a look-alike substitute who died on the cross and was buried in a different tomb. Jesus was taken directly to heaven and will return someday and live for only 40 years. A variant of this story says that Judas or someone else took Jesus’ place and was crucified. Jesus then appeared “resurrected” and probably went into seclusion for the rest of His life, maybe even married. These theories obviously have a few holes.
3. Another theory is that the disciples stole the body, presumably before the guards were set up outside the tomb. This was a rumor spread by the Jews. The problem with this is that the disciples proceeded to spend the rest of their lives proclaiming His resurrection, even though it meant martyrdom. Would they do this knowing it was a lie? In reality His resurrection was a great surprise to them, not something they were expecting or hoping for.
4. John Ortberg’s book Who Is This Man? discusses how much of what we take for granted in our western culture would not be that way if Jesus had not existed and been resurrected. Our calendar is based on Jesus’ birth, and even BCE and CE really mean Before the Christian Era and the Christian Era because the division is still, like BC and AD, the time of Jesus’ birth. The seven day week comes from the creation account in Genesis, and Sunday is the Christian version of the Sabbath because Christ rose on a Sunday. Ortberg points out that our democratic view of human rights—women’s rights, children’s rights, tolerance of other races—goes back to Jesus’ teachings, which went against the attitudes of ancient cultures. Education, universities, hospitals, democracy, science, churches and Christian organizations—all part of the framework of our society—are rooted in Christianity. Ortberg also points out how the cross has become a universal symbol of salvation and not a symbol of tortuous death, and, indeed, Jesus brought to all mankind the hope of heaven (though not apart from Him). Ortberg goes into detail about these influences plus several others.
5. In The Case for Christ, Lee Strobel, who was an atheistic legal journalist, conducted interviews with various scholars in an attempt to disprove Christianity. He ended up becoming a Christian. His book gives fourteen types of evidence for the reality of Christ.
6. People who don’t believe Jesus was God still believe He was great teacher. C. S. Lewis famously points out in Mere Christianity that since He kept claiming to be the Son of God, He either was who He said He was or He was great con man or crazy—a lunatic or a liar—not a great teacher. Also, if He didn’t really perform miracles, then He was a greater magician than either David Blaine or David Copperfield.
7. What did He teach, after all? He reduced the 10 Commandments to two. Love God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength and your neighbor as yourself. These were not original to Him but quotes from the Old Testament. These are easier said than done, but if you could do them faithfully, you would also be following the 10 Commandments. He also said, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Other religions say, “Don’t do unto others what you don’t want them to do unto you.” The difference is significant, a switch from negative to positive. In fact, whereas many of the Old Testament laws emphasize the negative, Jesus’ teachings usually stress the positive. Notice His first commandment is holistic—emotional, rational, spiritual, and physical. Love God with your feelings or love, your thoughts or intelligence, your spirit or worship, and your body or actions.
8. But He tells us to do seemingly “unnatural” things: turn the other cheek when struck, forgive 490 times, take up our crosses, love our enemies, be perfect as God is perfect, and that lust is adultery and hatred is murder. He says we should be servants and willing to give up everything—not only possessions but loved ones—to follow Him. He says the poor and meek and sorrowful are blessed, but it is harder for a rich man to get into heaven than it is for a camel to go through the eye of a needle. Surely if He were such a great teacher, wouldn’t He tell us how to make more money, how to win friends and influence people, and how to be happy in life? If He were to tell us more “natural” things, such as shop, be entertained, and eat well, we wouldn’t need Him. We can think that philosophy up by ourselves.
9. Actually He is telling us how to be happy in life. He didn’t make rules and, in fact, chastised the Pharisees for their strict observance of endless (613) petty rules. Instead Jesus tells us to do the following:
Obey
Love
Worship
Forgive
Believe
Repent
Witness
Heal
Give
Be humble
Serve
Pray
10. The key concept of Christianity in the New Testament is Jesus’ atonement for our
sins. Accepting Jesus, believing in Jesus, committing one’s life to Jesus, absolves one from original sin. It’s not a matter of being good enough or doing enough good works. It’s a matter of faith in the grace God offers us through Christ. The trouble is that most people don’t want someone to sacrifice for them. Or they think God will require so much of them. Or that they can’t or don’t want to change their lifestyle. In the Old Testament animal sacrifices were made by the Jews to atone for their sins. There at least you are doing something yourself, bringing the animal for sacrifice, giving up something you own. In the theology of the Bible, Jesus is that sacrifice, but you have to bring your body and soul for Him. Amazingly it works, as millions of Christians have discovered.
11. About the turn of the twentieth century Charles Sheldon wrote a novel called In
His Steps. In it the characters asked themselves “What would Jesus do?” and tried to act accordingly. Christian Endeavor societies were formed for that purpose. It was a bad novel but quite a creative religious tract. In recent years the question would show up as WWJD on bracelets, pins, T-shirts, or bumper stickers. To try to act like Jesus, as Christians are supposed to do, is not a bad thing. After all, would Jesus have owned slaves or burned witches? On the other hand, Jesus was rather unpredictable. He multiplied loaves and fishes, calmed a storm, healed lepers, raised the dead. Would we be able to do any of those things? Are we supposed to ask what toothpaste He would use or car He would drive? I suppose in moral questions it might be helpful to consider what Jesus would have us to do. But would Jesus refuse to go to a movie or dance or play cards? (Though there is nothing wrong with not doing those things.) After all, He ate with publicans and sinners. We have his instructions to follow, but is it presumptuous to think we would know what He would do? Benjamin Franklin in his Autobiography listed 13 rules for improving his behavior. The 13th was “Humility. Imitate Socrates and Jesus.” That very statement shows a lack of humility. The better question is “What would Jesus have me to do?”
12. Jesus was both liberal and conservative. He was conservative regarding morality
and liberal regarding the poor and marginalized. So-called “liberal” Christians
limit their Christian by emphasizing social concerns and not so much the spiritual and moral. So-called “conservative” Christians limit their Christianity by emphasizing the moral and spiritual and not so much the concern for the needy. And “evangelical” Christian is redundant because the very definition of what a Christian is includes the evangelical proclamation of the Gospel. True Christianity encompasses morality, spirituality, spreading the Gospel, and, maybe above all else, considering Jesus’ emphasis on it, concern for the needy.
13. Atheists, of course, have no choice but to reject
Jesus’ divinity. An atheist,
however, can pick and choose from Jesus’ teachings. If he thinks turning the other cheek is a better idea than fighting back and getting beaten up or that loving one’s enemy is better than holding a grudge that sours one’s attitude, shortens one’s life, and gets one more grief for oneself than it harms the enemy, then one will turn one’s cheek and forgive. A humanist can love, forgive, give to charity, be humble, serve others, and be moral. But to worship, have faith, witness (for God or Jesus), and pray are out of an atheist’s realm—against one’s religion. The atheist would further argue that he (or she) is a better person than someone who does the religious acts and neglects the humanitarian ones. Jesus said the same thing.
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