Letter to the editor of the Ventura County Star Regarding the Jesus Seminar
| By: Dr. Ted Baehr; ©2000 |
| The secular press commonly uses the so-called “Jesus Seminar” as its source for information about Jesus. Is the information they give accurate? Dr. Baehr reveals a couple of problems, and a scriptural corrective in this “letter to the editor.” |
LETTER TO THE EDITOR OF THE VENTURA COUNTY STAR REGARDING THE JESUS SEMINAR
Regarding your article on the Jesus Seminar, in the October 22, 1999 issue, this befuddled group of thinkers was dismissed by serious theologians years ago. Even when I was in a liberal Episcopal Seminary in the late 1970s, these ideas which had their roots in 19th century German higher criticism were languishing. The German School of higher criticism had originally formulated these positions to distance Christianity from Judaism. It was racist theology.
Coming to seminary from a legal career and having studied at one of the top law schools in the country, it was easy to discern that the Jesus Seminar clique were reading their beliefs into the past rather than doing serious scholarship. In fact, it was easy to discern that there was no basis for any of their questions, much less any of their conclusions.
Regrettably, however, every year many newspapers print odes to the Jesus Seminar. (They must have a tremendous PR agent.)
What the Jesus Seminar does is not blasphemy, it is just not Christianity. As C.S. Lewis said so well, watered down Christianity is nothing. For the millions and millions of people who have had a personal encounter with the risen Jesus, all of this anti-Christian musing is irrelevant. For others, it must be noted that nobody has to be a Christian.
The Bible answers the Jesus Seminar with these words:
- “If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. But, Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.” (1 Corinthians 15:13-20 (NIV))
