Back from the Jesus Seminar

This coming Sunday, our very own John Shuck will report to the Adult Forum with news from his recent trip to the 2011 Jesus Seminar in Salem, Oregon.

In 1985, the Jesus Seminar grew out of the efforts of Robert Funk and the Westar Institute whose stated "twofold mission is to foster collaborative research in religious studies and to communicate the results of the scholarship of religion to a broad, non-specialist public." The Jesus Seminar's main goal has been to identify a clearer picture of who Jesus really was. In their words, the Jesus Seminar has sought to "discover and report a scholarly consensus on the historical authenticity of the sayings (phase 1) and events (phase 2) attributed to Jesus in the gospels." The members, a mix of well-known schlolars and unfamiliar names, vote on lines of biblical scripture as being historically accurate, may accurate, not so accurate and definitey not accurate. The results have been both highly lauded and strongly condemned.

Please join us as John brings us up to date on the latest happenings. We'll be delighted to see you, and as ever, warm and loving childcare is provided.

Saving Jesus, Redux, Part 2

This Sunday we'll have a look at chapter 2. Here's the teaser: So, "Who was Jesus? Apocalyptic firebrand. Mystical faith healer. Political insurrectionist. There are as many images of Jesus as there are theological and political stripes. Walk into the narthex of any number of Protestant churches, and you’re likely to find the sentimental, blue-eyed, pink-skinned Jesus of artist Warner Sallman gazing peacefully upon your comings and goings. Enter the neighboring Catholic Church, and you’ll probably find the image of a beaten, bleeding, emaciated man suffering on a cross. "From the Gospels to illustrated Bible storybooks to portrayals in film, Jesus has been the subject of considerable “spin” over the ages. Each tradition and each individual puts their own emphasis on who Jesus was. For many middle-class Americans, the ideal Jesus is the gentle, upstanding, right-thinking (and often somewhat androgynous) suburbanite with good posture. The notion that Jesus might have been a short, dark, Middle-Eastern peasant rabble-rouser is so far from many people’s capacity to comprehend, that all reason is rejected in favor of the gauzy Aryan visions of early childhood. A blondhaired, blue-eyed Jesus, meek and mild, is such a stalwart icon of Western culture, that to suggest anything contrary or corrective to that image is tantamount to heresy." Please be warmly welcome. And as always, loving childcare is happily provided.