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God Was Born?

Attempts to explain away the deity of Christ have been around as long as Christianity itself. During the last century and a half, however, such efforts to debunk have become more sophisticated. Strangely enough, these attempts have come not only from atheists or members of other religions, but also from those who are supposedly advocates of the Christian faith. In fact, the (de)mythologizing of Christianity under the guise of explaining the "historical Jesus" has become a virtual industry within theological scholarship. The typical argument is that Jesus of Nazareth was a remarkable man who only became a deity in the minds of his followers.

Let us take a fresh look at the question of the divinity of Christ. Must one accept the divine nature of Jesus only on the basis of faith or are there logical reasons for doing so as well? Some of the greatest minds over the centuries have attempted to answer questions about the dual natures (one human and one divine) of Christ. On the other hand, some of the simplest of persons seem to have a profound knowledge of who Jesus was and is today. Most of us are in between the simplest and the greatest. We offer you some of the following resources so that you may have a better understanding of this fundamental matter.



Jesus as God:

Mere Christianity
Edward H. Pauley
This article recapitulates the essentials of Christianity that are common to all Christian churches.

The Uniqueness of Jesus
Pat Zukeran
If Jesus was not God then who was he? Was he a liar or a lunatic? The answer to these questions are essential to the Christian faith.

The Mystery Of God Incarnate
Paul D. Adams
In this lengthy essay, the author considers a possibility in addition to the liar, lunatic or Lord problem that was the basis of the above article. What if the divinity of Christ is simply a legend rather than something that Jesus claimed for himself?

Word of Words
John Gay
The author looks at the experience of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24) and its implications for the way we view the Scriptures.


Gospels and Historical Jesus:

The Historical Christ: A Response to "From Jesus to Christ"
Rick Wade
Recent "Quests for the Historical Jesus" are briefly detailed.

The Gospels As Historical Sources For Jesus,The Founder Of Christianity
R. T. France
This article considers the non-gospel accounts of Jesus to weigh the historical validity of the four Gospels.

Faith and History
Richard B. Hays
Two books, considered some of the better works on the historical Jesus movement, are considered in this review.

The Corrected Jesus
Richard B. Hays
This review essay critiques the methods used by the Jesus Seminar in its attempts to determine which sayings of Jesus are historical.


Resurrection:

Cruci-fiction and Resuscitation: The Greatest Hoax in the History of Humanity?
Russ Wise
Responding to a paid advertisement in a major university newspaper, the author reviews the Christian belief in the resurrection of Jesus.

Contemporary Scholarship and the Historical Evidence for the Resurrection of Jesus Christ
William Lane Craig
This scholarly article reviews the evidence for the resurrection.


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