In the 1990s, a group of
scholars called the Jesus Seminar created headline news, especially in the United States.
To put it simply, they questioned whether the Bible is the inspired word of
God.
The seminar was composed
of specialists in the New Testament Gospels. They taught at leading
universities and seminaries in North America and
represented every major Christian denomination and tradition. The Jesus Seminar
staked out a heady goal for itself. It hoped to recover the actual words Jesus
spoke, uncover what he really thought and discover which deeds recorded in the
Bible he accomplished.
At its spring 1991
meeting, the Jesus Seminar concluded its first phase—six years of debating and
voting on the words of Jesus. In that autumn, the seminar began its second
phase, analyzing the biblical accounts of Jesus’ life and deeds.
During their quest to discover the true voice
of Jesus, the seminar rejected about 80 percent of his words, calling them
later creations.
Robert Funk, the founder of the Jesus Seminar concluded,
"We should give Jesus a demotion. It is no
longer credible to think of Jesus as divine. Jesus’ divinity goes together with
the old theistic way of thinking about God. The plot early Christians invented
for a divine redeemer figure is as archaic as the mythology in which it is
framed. A Jesus who drops down out of heaven, performs some magical act that
frees human beings from the power of sin, rises from the dead, and returns to
heaven is simply no longer credible. The notion that he will return at the end
of time and sit in cosmic judgment is equally incredible. We must find a new
plot for a more credible Jesus."
If you're still not clear, watch Because He Lives again and think with your heart. You too can know truth from error.
Do you believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God?
Would you like to learn more about what Jesus
Christ has done for mankind in our own day?
Do you believe the Easter message--that Jesus Christ was
resurrected and therefore you too will be resurrected?
Would you like to know more about resurrection?
More about heaven? More about what happens to us after we die and what resurrection
really means?
Any missionary from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints would give their day off to answer these questions for you. Find one or reply to this post and I'll find one for you.
George and Agatha:
For those of you who have visited Nauvoo, you know that there is a play performed every night of the week except for Sunday. It's called, Rendezvous in Old Nauvoo. We had our debut of George and Agatha this week which is a new vignette for us. A guest took these pictures and sent them to a fellow missionary who in turn sent them to us.
Don't you love technology?
Oh, PS, Elder Johnson wants me to tell you that we had a standing ovation after our performance and people even threw money. Okay, maybe not quite. :)
However, if you know Ian Gagon, ask him what he thought of Nauvoo! He was here last week but we failed to get a picture of him and his family--so sad. If anyone has access to pictures he took, please email them to us.
gregg.amy7@gmail.com
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