Is there a new Jesus Seminar to worry about?
Over twenty years ago, ministers who were discerning the times, noted that Biblical scholars were examining most Christian beliefs in the light of the most recent discoveries in archaeology, new manuscripts, new understanding of the Jewish mind-set in the time of Jesus, and re-examining well-accepted Christian understanding as they did in the 1880’s, 1908, 1928, and 1948.
From 1986 to 1988 a panel of scholars met with widespread publicity to present their views. Some of the more radical views attracted much press, but others attacked them vigorously. Many ordinary people in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s were confused with claim and counter claim, and conservative scholars wrote books of rebuttal. This is all a normal part of scholarship.
In I996/7 I wrote a number of scholarly articles and editorials and then announced, “I will spend the whole of this year looking at our belief in Jesus Christ in the light of modern argument. I have produced for you a bibliography of the major books and an outline of forty sermons that will tackle the major issues. Each sermon will indicate the major books tackled for that theme. For Christians, nothing is more important than to understand and to know Jesus Christ. The world seems set against giving Jesus the credibility and authority Christians believe He has. It is therefore vital that we know all we can of the historical Jesus and to know the Christ of faith.
The debate is referred to as “The Third Quest For the Historical Jesus.” The first quest covered the rise of historical criticism of the scriptures of the nineteen century and was summed up by Dr Albert Schweitzer’s book of that name in 1906.
The second quest for the historical Jesus in the 1950-60’s followed theologians influenced by Rudolf Bultmann, such as Ernst Kasemann, Gunther Bornkamm and James Robinson who wrote “A New Quest For the Historical Jesus” (SCM 1959), demonstrating the probability of what Jesus did and said.
But from 1980 on, a whole series of archaeological and historical discoveries, new manuscripts and a better understanding of Judaism in the time of Jesus, set scholars off on a third quest for the historical Jesus, seeking to understand Him in the light of His times. The Dead Sea Scrolls have been the most famous of recent discoveries illuminating His era, but there have been many more that have led scholars to see Jesus within the vibrant times of the Second Temple Judaism, the beliefs that existed during the time Herod the Great rebuilt the Temple.
During this year, I will discuss the views of a dozen scholars including Bp John Shelby Spong, Ben Witherington III; Gregory A Boyd; J.D.Crossan; James H Charlesworth, Michael J Wilkins, Luke Timothy Johnson and those involved in “The Jesus Seminar” and its publications, and two Australians, Bp Paul Barnett and Dr Barbara Thiering. As a special input to our services, we will have multi-media presentations by historian Garry Kent on discoveries from the time of Jesus, and archaeological presentations by David Down on discoveries from the time of Jesus made in the last decade. I believe this congregation will be as informed as any in Australia on the Third Quest For the Historical Jesus. My hope is that more will then come to believe in the Christ of faith.”
All of these sermons and other editorials and articles are available on my website www.gordonmoyes.com under the heading Sermons. They will be found under the appropriate dates commencing at the beginning of 1997.
So popular was this series I repeated it in the “Chapel in the City” over forty Thursdays during 2003, taking into account additional books written since 1997.
Having done all of that over the past twenty years, you can imagine my surprise to read in the latest Presidential E-mail from Rev Fred Nile the following:
False Prophets and False Teachers.
“Jesus Christ warned the disciples that in the last days “many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase in wickedness the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved” (Matthew 24:11-12). The Apostles repeated these warnings about false prophets, false teachers etc (1 Timothy 4:1-2), (2 Peter 2:1-3).
The most serious example is the formation of the “Jesus Seminar” Movement in the USA, which has 150 Christian theologians as members, who deny every important statement of Jesus Christ as being false, such as “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life”, “I am the Resurrection and the Life” etc. They claim Jesus Christ never spoke those sayings to His disciples. Many of these “theologians” train ministerial students in the mainstream denominations in the USA, which only adds to the confusion and divisions in the church.
We should follow the Apostle Peter’s instructions “Therefore, dear friends, since you already know this, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless men and fall from your secure position. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. To Him be glory, both now and forever. Amen” (2 Peter 3:17-18).”
What is going on here? Is there a new Jesus Seminar we need to be worried about? I know many of the scholars who wrote in the 1980’s are dead now, and the issues in ministerial training are totally different. In fact, as people who are up to date with ministry training trends know, the emphasis in the twenty-first century has been upon what is called “the New Atheism”.
I have written articles on this worldview over the past few years as I have shared platforms in Oxford University, Cambridge University and Edinburgh University on these issues, and as I have debated some of the atheist authors. You can read about some of these by taking up the following links:
“Why do people believe in God?”, “The Delusion of Dawkins” , “The Two Differing Professors”, “The Golden Compass”.
This is where the current scene is now. Fred’s warning about the Jesus Seminar is twenty years too late. It is like warning people not to buy tickets on the maiden voyage of the “Titanic”. Out of date. Out of touch. But then again, alarmist reports such as this are designed to frighten the horses and elderly CDP members into continuing to vote for CDP on Saturday.
This kind of alarmist writing, without making any attempt to provide a satisfactory intellectual argument against the proposals, helps no one. Based on the numerous factual errors in recent Presidential emails, you should disregard any such factual material until you have thoroughly checked it out yourself.
Rev The Hon. Dr Gordon Moyes, A.C., M.L.C.